Never Let Go
by daydreambeliever321
Summary: POWERS UNFATHOMABLE TRILOGY - PART 2: What happens when Will becomes desperately ill and no one knows what's wrong with him? Will he survive? Or will Bella have to face the fact that she let him go...forever? Lewis is back; Will and Bella are broken up. REVISED VERSION BUT SAME STORY!
1. Chapter 1: Home Again

**A/N: Hi! I can't believe that I'm actually doing a sequel! It's crazy amazing! Once again, I'm still Ella of gabisamore, I just got my own account. I'm sorrry if this is causing any confusion! Note to new readers: If you haven't read Part 1: Hold on Tight, a lot of this might not make sense. Please read it first and review! **

**Shout out to: Quillcox my first reviewer to the final chapter of Hold On Tight. Thank you so much Quillcox for your sweet review. I hope you like this! **

**I'm really excited about this and thanks to all those who have been with me so far! Here is the very first chapter of Never Let Go, Part 2 of the Powers Unfathomable Trilogy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own H2o Just Add water.**

CHAPTER 1

Lewis's POV (Cleo's house)

"Lewis!"

"Cleo!"

She flung herself into my arms and buried her face in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her tightly; I never wanted to let her go.

"I've missed you so much," I whispered, kissing her hair.

"Me too." She said, snuggling into my arms even more. I pulled away for just a moment and looked at her beautiful face. I leaned down and kissed her gently. She stood on her tiptoes and deepened the kiss, my hands started tracing patterns on her waist and she tangled her fingers in my hair.

"Eh um..." I heard someone cough next to us. Cleo and I reluctantly broke apart and I turned and faced Cleo's dad, who looked like he was trying to avoid laughing and strangling me all at the same time. Cleo and I grinned at each other.

"Well, nice to see you back Lewis," he finally said, slapping me on the back. "I've missed your constant presence at here on weekends." He paused and thought for a second. "And now that I think of it, all the other days of the week too."

I laughed nervously. "Nice to see you again too Mr. Setori." I replied, shaking his hand. Sam was there as well and she gave me a small hug.

"You know that you're staying for dinner, right?" She said, giving me a wink. I grinned. "I would love to," I said with a smile. Cleo beamed and weaved her fingers in between mine

"Well come in Lewis, I have so much to tell you!" She said happily.

"Yeah, you sure do." I said softly, pushing some hair away from her face. She giggled.

"Come on silly." She teased. "Lets go upstairs." I grinned and let her lead me inside.

We were halfway up the stairs, and Mr. Setori was glaring at us lightly.

"If I don't hear talking, I'm coming up!" He shouted as we walked into Cleo's room.

Cleo and I laughed. She plopped down on her bed, and I lay down beside her, turning so I was facing her.

"Okay, let's talk." I said. Her face changed from happy to worried in a split second.

"Wait, did I say something?" I asked worriedly. I didn't know what I had done; I said three words, that's all.

"No, no, it's nothing you did. It's just so, so…"

"So… what?" I asked curiously.

"So complicated!" She exploded. "Will and Bella aren't speaking; they never want to see each other again, but Will still needs help, he's only been a merman for a few weeks now, but he won't speak to me or Rikki. Bella's gone into isolation; she quit the band; Rikki needs a new singer, and she is driving me crazy and, and…"

"Whoa, take it easy." I said soothing, pulling her into my arms, "I didn't realize it was so bad; they really never want to see each other again? Isn't that a bit much? You didn't tell me it had come to that."

She sighed. "Well, at the time, it hadn't, but I kind of thought that if they at least SAW each other then maybe they would make up so I…"

"Cleo…" I began warningly. "You didn't."

She hit me playfully. "Yes I did, and I'm sorry, but I couldn't take seeing them so miserable and not doing anything about it."

I sighed, "I know you meant well sweetie, but it obviously didn't work out quite right; did it?"

She shook her head a bit sheepishly.

"What exactly did happen?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"I don't want to explain it all; I'm not even a hundred percent sure, but they got into another fight and I think Bella kicked Will…among other things."

"She WHAT?" I cried. That didn't sound like Bella.

"Will called her a two-year old with a tantrum."

"Oh boy." I said, running my fingers through my hair. "This is bad." I got up and began pacing. "Having them broken up is one thing, but having them hating each other is quite another. If either of them gets too angry or upset, they might go and do something stupid that could blow everything." I looked at Cleo. "And I mean EVERYTHING."

"I know. That's why I've been trying to get a hold of both of them since then, but I've haven't been able too. They're both so stubborn!" She stood and started pacing around the room with me.

I stopped and put my arms around her waist. "Look, why don't I try? I'll text Will tomorrow; maybe I'll go see him or something. I want to run a few tests on him anyway. There are a few other things I need to check, and maybe while things are going on I'll bring up the subject of Bella."

"That might work." She said thoughtfully.

"Of course it will." I said soothingly, toying gently with her fingers. "Now," I continued, "I think we've been talking quite enough, don't you?"

She giggled and moved a little closer. I chuckled and pulled her onto the bed with me. She squealed and swatted me lightly.

"Lewis!" She protested as I nuzzled her neck.

"Cleo!" I mimicked as I hugged her. I turned serious as I reached over and turned her chin towards me and kissed her.

It was good to be back.

**A/N: I know this was kind of short, but I want to work on my other story for a bit, and this is the little intro. Hopefully there was enough Clewis in it! They're my third favorite pairing; they're so cute! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was inexcusably short. I update after two reviews, so REVIEW if you want more. If you don't, review anyway and tell me to shut up and stop writing! LOL :) Thanks for reading!**

**Ella**

**Ella**


	2. Chapter 2: A Specimen

**A/N: Hey Peoples! New chapter! Wooooo!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own H2o, but my daddy does! :)**

**Yeah right…I wish…**

CHAPTER 2

Sophie's POV:

I opened my cell phone and hit the "3" button, Will's speed dial. I pressed the phone to my ear and listened to it ring once and then twice. He finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Sophie," I said.

"Oh, hi Soph. How are things?" I was in Japan, visiting my parents. They were still traveling, and this was the second time that they had been in Japan. The last time they had been here was when I was fifteen, seven years ago. We got so comfortable that we stayed for a year. I made several friends, one in particular that I had kept in touch with ever since, Akiko Toshina. She was a year younger than me and had been battling cancer ever since she was ten years old. I had only been in back in Japan for three weeks now when the worse had happened.

"Well, mum and dad are doing fine. They're thinking about moving again, maybe to Argentina this time; you know they have friends there. They said they might make a stop in Australia on their way down."

"Oh, wow, that sounds…great. I haven't seen them in a long time." He sounded strange, a bit jumpy maybe, but I just blamed it on myself.

"How long until you get back?" He asked. I sniffed slightly. "Wait, are you crying?" He added, concerned, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I mean no," I answered sadly, taking a seat heavily.

"What's wrong?" He sounded genuinely concerned.

"Do you remember Akiko? The girl who used to come over our house in Japan all the time? The only one of my old friends that I've kept in touch with all this time?"

"Yeah, the one who was sick, right?"

"Right," I said, "Well, she passed away yesterday."

"Oh my god, Soph I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

I sniffed, "Yes,"

"Really?" He sounded skeptical.

I sighed, "Fine, no not really." I dabbed at my eyes with a tissue that I held crumpled in my hand. Hiding things from my little brother was practically impossible, even over the phone. "Anyway, I have to stay longer. The wake is in a few days and the funeral is next week. Will you be okay by yourself for another week or so?"

"Oh yeah, I'll be fine, no worries, stay as long as you need." He sounded relieved. Maybe I was imagining things. "Give my love to mum and dad, tell them I can't wait to see them," he continued.

"Okay, I will," I said. "Love you,"

"Love you too, take it easy alright? I'll see you soon,"

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Will's POV:

I hung up the phone with a sigh of relief. I was sad about Akiko, the girl had been my friend as well, but now Sophie wouldn't be back for a few more weeks. That would give me extra time to figure out how on earth I was going to hide my secret from her. With the girls it was easier. None of their family were expert swimmers and divers. Sophie and I swam together all the time, even now that I wasn't in training. Now what was I supposed to do about it? I couldn't suddenly just become allergic to water after practically living in it for the past eighteen years of my life. I had no idea what I was going to do. Just then my phone buzzed. I turned it over and saw a text flash across the screen.

_Hey man, just got back in town; haven't seen you for a while. Mind if I come over? Cleo told me everything._

It was from Lewis. I didn't know that he was coming home, but then again, I hadn't spoken to any of the girls for almost a week. So Lewis knew everything, at least that saved me a long drawn out explanation. I quickly typed out a message in reply.

_Sounds good, anytime's fine._

I scrolled through my list of contacts and found Lewis' number; it'd been awhile since I had last used it. I pressed the send button and then put down my phone. I needed a distraction from all this mess. I missed Bella like crazy, and even though I would have lots of problems once Sophie got back, I missed her too. I hadn't made all that many friends at school besides Bella and the girls, or at least none that I would want to hang out with during the summer. It had been too risky to get close to anyone then because of the girls and their secret, and since I had had Bella, I hadn't really cared, but now that I had this annoying habit of growing a tail after I touched water, it was even harder because I didn't know who I could trust. The truth was that I really couldn't trust anybody but those who already knew the secret. It was too dangerous. I couldn't get caught, and if I did I knew that it would only be a matter of time before the girls were caught as well. Maybe Bella and I weren't dating anymore, but I still cared about her more than anything else and Rikki and Cleo had become like my sisters. No. I couldn't let anything happen to them because of my own stupidity. I'd never forgive myself if something did.

For about another hour or so I busied myself with making some detailed sketches of my latest editions to my fossil collection. I'd been finding more and more of them lately as I could swim as far and as deep as I wanted. I was just labeling the sketches when I heard a knock at the door.

"It's open!" I called from my place at the table. I heard the door open behind me just as I stood up. Lewis poked his head through.

"Hey, long time no see!" he greeted. I grinned

"Great to see you mate." I said, slapping him on the back. "How are things?"

"Good, I think." He shrugged. "So, I heard about all the err…interesting things that occurred while I was gone."

I sighed. "So Cleo told you everything?"

He nodded. "And beside all the catching up I have to do, I also have a few other things." He set his backpack down on the table, grunting from its weight.

"What on earth do you have in there?" I asked, amused.

"Just a few necessary items for the tests I need to run."

I frowned in confusion. "What tests?" I questioned.

"The ones I need to run on you." he replied matter-of-factly, digging a notebook out of the pack. "All the girls went through standard physical tests when they became mermaids, and I plan to run the same ones on you, plus a few extras now that we know more about mermaids…errr…and mermen."

"I don't know if I like this idea or not." I said suspiciously, watching Lewis unpack about a dozen test tubes and instruments that I'd only seen in a doctor's office before.

"Oh come on, man up mate! The girls put up with it. Trust me, it'll take only about an hour at the most. Maybe even less than that, and the information gained with doubtlessly be invaluable to my research in the future, seeing as you're the first merman with whom I've come into contact with."

I shook my head. "You make it sound like I'm a specimen,"

He shrugged. "For the moment you are. My specimen anyway, and if you want to avoid becoming complete stranger's, I suggest you let me run these tests. The things I find could prevent a lot of problems later on."

I thought about this for a second. Finally I shrugged and nodded. "What's the harm? Go ahead."

Lewis broke out into a grin. "Thanks a lot mate!" He said, shaking my hand vigorously. "I own you for this,"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." I muttered, taking a seat at the table, eying the all the equipment warily, and wondering what the heck I had just gotten myself into. "Let's just get this over with."

Two hours later I had been poked, prodded, pulled, and pushed in every single way I knew possible and even some ways that I DIDN'T know were possible. I was out of breath from all the land speed drills that Lewis had made me do while he timed me with a stopwatch, and from all the breath holding tests. My arms and legs were sore where he had taken blood samples, my throat hurt from all the times he had made me cough or say "ahhh", and I had bruises from the six million times that he had made me transform.

"Are you done yet?" I asked, exasperated, standing up painfully and scratching the back of my neck, just one of the many places where he had poked me with something or another.

"Almost, almost, just be patient." Lewis said, comparing the contents of two test tubes.

"Dude, what are you doing?"

"Checking the response that scales from your tail had to two different chemicals; that's all."

I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, what good is that going to do? How is it going to accomplish anything?"

Lewis sighed. "It would take far to long to explain. Just trust me, okay? And besides, I'm all finished; that was the last test."

I let out my breath in relief and collapsed on the couch. "Finally." I moaned, exhausted both mentally and physically.

Lewis chuckled as he put all his stuff away. "So," he began, "how've you been besides this whole merman thing?" He asked, flopping in the chair next to me. I shrugged.

"Okay I guess. Sophie's away; she won't be back for another few weeks, nothing else really." I was trying to avoid the topic of Bella, but I knew Lewis wasn't that dumb.

"Come on mate." Lewis said, turning serious. "You know what I mean. What's up with you and Bella?"

I shifted my hands restlessly. "I was waiting for you to ask that."

"So it's true? Cleo told me you weren't speaking to each other and that the last time she saw you together you look ready to kill each other, but when I left, it appeared that you were joined at the lip."

I frowned. "You mean 'hip'" I corrected.

He chuckled. "No I meant LIP." He emphasized. I groaned and angrily threw a pillow at him.

"Whoa, dude chill. I was only kidding." He defended himself. I stood up.

"Unfortunately I didn't find it funny." I said sourly.

Lewis stood up as well. "Wait, so you guys seriously hate each other?" he asked confused.

I sighed, exasperated. "Is that what Cleo told you?"

"Something along those lines, yes."

"Well then believe her and leave me alone." I mumbled.

"Will, I'm not dumb enough to believe something that's obviously not true. If you were mad at Bella, you wouldn't be acting like this." He paused; I said nothing.

"You still want her don't you?"

I whirled around in mix of surprise, relief, and anger. I wanted to yell, scream, just anything, but all I did was nodmy head. "That obvious?" I said quietly.

He grinned. "Kind of."

I sat back down. "What am I supposed to do?" I moaned. "I want her back so much, but I'm almost afraid to talk to her after what happened last time, but I…" My voice trailed off, and I buried my head in my hands.

"But…what?" Lewis persisted.

I sighed and lifted my head slightly. "I love her." I whispered.

Lewis smiled. "Of course you do; you think I didn't realize that by now?" He said matter-of-factly.

"What should I do?" I asked him. "You went through something like this with Cleo; what now?"

At that Lewis stopped smiling. "Will, in all honesty, I think that's something you need to figure out on your own. You know you love Bella; you're acknowledging it, now it's just how far you're willing to go to get her back."

I stood up quickly. "I'm willing to do anything, everything, I don't care what or where…I just want her back." I said impulsively.

Lewis looked at me for a few seconds. "I know." He finally said softly. "I've been there before. Just take it slow; don't rush things." I nodded silently.

"I've got to be going," Lewis said after a few moments, breaking the silence. He picked up his backpack and was almost out the door when he turned suddenly. "Will, one more thing."

I looked up. "Yeah?"

"I know you're willing to do whatever it takes to win Bella back, but you need to prepare yourself for one possibility."

"And what's that?" I said, almost dreading the answer.

He sighed, "you need to prepare yourself for the fact that if all fails, and she moves on; there is nothing you can do. Remember, it's her life too." And with that he turned and walked out the door. I clenched my fists several times, trying to concentrate on something other than my wildly beating heart.

No. It wasn't possible. She couldn't move one with her life, not without me. Not my Bella, she wouldn't…

Would she?

**A/N: So Sophie's out of town for a bit longer…hmmmm…. Lewis is back and we get all the cool Will/Lewis friendship. This story is goin' gooood..! :)**

**LOL, anyway, things are about to heat up BIG TIME, so if this story isn't already on your alerts, I would totally suggest adding it. :) All it takes is the push of a button…come on, I know you want to! }:-) Haha Please review, I'll try to update as usual after two-three reviews. Thanks so much for reading!**

**Ella:)**


	3. Chapter 3: It Could Be Too Late

**A/N: Here we are, chapter 3! I haven't had a whole lot of time to write lately, mainly because I've become obsessed with Home & Away, an Australian Soap Opera. It's SO ADDICTING! I've even written a fanfiction for it. If you're a fan of Romeo and Indi, go check it out! :) (There will also be Romeo/Ruby friendship…but I'm not sure about them as a couple. I have mixed feelings about those two….) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own H2O Just Add Water**

CHAPTER 3

Cleo's POV:

I was in the kitchen, putting together some drinks and snacks for our sleepover tonight. It was a full moon, another strange one, and we didn't know what to expect. Lewis had warned me a million times if he had once about staying inside tonight. Honestly, you'd think he was the one with the tail. He tried to talk Will into coming here for the night so that Zane and him could keep an eye on all three mermaids and the one merman together, but Will refused. He denied that it had anything to do with Bella, but we all knew better. Since their argument at Rikki's they've been avoiding each other like the plague, but honestly, who could blame them? I felt really bad about having suggested the whole thing in the first place, but thankfully Bella wasn't mad at me anymore. She had never really been mad at anyone except for Will.

I did a quick check on all the windows downstairs; they were all sufficiently covered. Then I went upstairs to start on the windows and mirrors there; we didn't want ANY light coming through tonight. We were pretty sure that tonight's moon didn't have any effect on our powers, but it was some kind of eclipse, and Lewis refused to take any chances. He had finally managed to convince Will to let him stay with him for the night, but that incidentally meant that he couldn't be here with us, which left us in Zane's "capable" hands. When Lewis realized that the only person left to watch out for us was Zane, he threw a fit, much to Rikki's amusement, but we finally managed to work things out. I glanced at my watch. The moon would be rising in about an hour and half; the girls would be here soon. I busied myself with making my room cleaner and pulling out some extra blankets and pillows.

Rikki and Bella arrived together a little while later with Lewis right behind them, giving Zane instructions on what to do in ANY possible situation.

"Now, if Rikki were to get moonstruck and go into the backyard, the best way to lure her into the house is by using ice cream. It contradicts her powers, so she wants it. If she's in the front yard you might try ice cubes. Now for Bella…" and he went on and on. I rolled my eyes at Bella and shook my head.

"I wonder if Zane's taking notes." I said jokingly. Bella grinned.

"I don't see how he'll remember anything if he doesn't." She said, laughing. Rikki rolled her eyes.

"Lewis, that's enough already. Everything is going to be fine; we've been through weird full moons without you, you know." She said. Lewis crossed his arms.

"Yeah, like the last one. Must I remind you of what happened then?"

Rikki shrugged. "A once in a lifetime incident." She said airily.

"Or do you mean a life-_changing_ incident." He said sourly. "No, no way am I letting something like that happen again. It's going against all my common sense to leave you guys here without me tonight, but Will needs to be watched closely too. This will be his first out of the ordinary moon, and it would be just like him to do something stupid." He glanced at his watch.

"Look, I've got to go; I've only got a half and hour." He came over and kissed me.

"Be careful sweetheart." He said softly, wrapping me in a tight hug. I return it and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I will baby. Just don't worry so much; we'll be fine." He only looked half convinced, but he thankfully couldn't stay around any longer.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." He said, and then left through the front door, shutting it firmly behind him.

"Well, I guess we're on our own for the rest of the night," Rikki remarked, plopping her overnight bag on the couch.

"Ehem," Zane cleared his throat. "Haven't you forgotten something?"

Rikki grinned teasingly. "No, I don't think so." She said, smirking. Zane looked offended.

"What about me?" He protested. "I'm going to be here; I had to put up with Lewis's play-by-play instructions for over an hour for heaven's sake, so you'd better appreciate this." He growled. Rikki giggled.

"I was only kidding you, of course we appreciate this, right guys?" She looked at us.

"Oh sure, yeah, uh huh." Bella and I agreed quickly. Rikki turned back to Zane and kissed him, and Bella and I exchanged sarcastic glances. Meanwhile, Zane's hands roamed to Rikki's waist, and she pushed him back against the wall.

"Rikki, I'm on duty here…" He mumbled in between kisses. She paid no attention.

"Lewis is going to kill me…" Zane protested halfheartedly. Rikki just kissed him harder.

"Not that I mind or anything." He added, finally giving in and pulling her a little closer. That was too much.

"Alright, alright, break it up you two!" I called, hands on my hips. Bella copied me and we glared at the two lovebirds. Rikki scowled, but gave Zane a little shove. He pretended to sulk.

"Oh, don't be such a baby!" Rikki snapped, smacking him.

"Ow! Hey!" Zane yelped. "Okay, okay, I get the message." Bella rolled her eyes.

"Men." She sniffed. "I'm going to go put my bag upstairs; I'll be right back." She shouldered her backpack and turned to go up the stairs. Rikki looked at me and shrugged her shoulders.

"You know, she really doesn't seem all that cut up over Will." She commented.

"Unless it's all an act…" I observed, thinking hard. Zane shook his head.

"Well, maybe Bella doesn't care, but Will is loosing it. I've never seen someone so torn up over a girl before." He said. "I saw him yesterday and he was a wreck, worrying about Bella moving on and him loosing all his chances with her. It was all I could do to calm him down. In the end he just went for a swim, and I haven't seen him since then."

Rikki looked concerned. "Wait, does he even understand how serious this eclipse is?"

Zane nodded. "Lewis spoke to him and made him promise to take things seriously."

"And remember, Lewis will be there tonight; he'll keep Will out of any trouble." I pointed out. Just then my watch and cell phone went off simultaneously. Zane's phone went off too. I pulled out my cell first and looked at the screen. It was a text from Lewis.

"_The moon is up and the eclipse is just beginning. Will and I are fine. Stay safe. I love you."_

I looked up at Rikki and Zane. Zane read aloud from his phone.

_"I'm counting on you mate, keep those girls inside and safe tonight. Good night and good luck."_

Zane's face went dead serious.

"Okay, you girls get upstairs now." He said. I headed up and Rikki started to reach for her bag. Zane shook his head.

"I'll get the bag, just go upstairs and make sure Bella's alright. I'll be up in a second."

"Okay," she said, "thanks." She turned to follow me, and we quickly ran up the stairs and into my bedroom. Bella was sitting on the bed, playing with her hair and looking at something on her phone. She hurriedly switched it off when we walked in and slapped it facedown on the bed.

"The full moon's up." I said slowly, a bit concerned about what I had just seen. Rikki, being Rikki, wasn't as tactful.

"What were you looking at on your phone?" She asked bluntly.

"Nothing, just checking the time; that's all." Bella said quickly.

"Really?" Rikki said skeptically. "Oh then you wouldn't mind at all if I have a look too, would you?"

Bella's eyes grew wide. "No! Don't! I was just –" but it was too late, Rikki had already grabbed the phone and had clicked it on. She unlocked the screen and revealed a picture of Will and Bella. It had been taken at Bella's birthday party a little over six months ago. They had just started dating at the time and they had that "madly in love" look about them. Actually, they had never really lost that glow until the day they broke up.

Rikki didn't say anything. She just looked at the phone, and then at me, and then at Bella. Bella was looking at her fingers. I was debating whether or not I should say or do anything when I heard her sniffle.

That did it. I sat down beside her and gave her a hug. She hugged me back and started crying for real.

"I – miss – him…" she choked between sobs. I let her go, and Rikki put her am around her shoulders comfortingly.

"Then why don't you tell him? It wouldn't surprise me at all if he feels exactly the same."

Bella shook her head. "But what if he doesn't? Then I'll look like an idiot because I still care." She cried.

Rikki and I exchanged glances. We both knew how Will felt; that is if Lewis and Zane were being on the level.

"Okay, everything's secure downstairs, why don't we…" Zane came into the room, but stopped short when he saw Bella's swollen eyes. Bella sat up a little straighter and began to wipe her eyes self-consciously.

"Is everything okay?" Zane asked slowly, looking from me to Rikki and then back at me. I sighed.

Zane shook his head. "Wait, is this about Will?" He said, showing more common sense then any other member of his sex I've come into contact with so far, even Lewis. I was surprised, and it must have shown more than I thought.

"What did I say?" He asked, confused.

"How did you know?" Rikki asked incredulously. He shrugged.

"Lucky guess, but I'm right aren't I?" He looked pointedly at Bella. She nodded tearfully.

"Oh boy." He sighed, pacing over to the other side of the room. He turned and looked at me.

"Did you tell her what I told you?"

I shook my head. "I didn't think I should, but now I'm not so sure." I said. Bella looked at me.

"What is it? What did you not tell me?" She asked. I looked at Zane. He nodded.

"Tell her; Will will probably kill me, but you know what? He's being a stubborn idiot."

I nodded and turned to Bella. "Bella, I don't know exactly how to put this but, Will… " I paused, then tried again. "You see –"

"Oh come on, get to the point!" Rikki interrupted impatiently. "Bella, Will is a mess without you. He misses you like crazy and wants you back probably more than you want him back."

I smiled weakly. "She's right; Lewis told me that Will was really upset when he went to see him, and that he said straight out that he still loved you."

Bella just sat there. She looked puzzled. "But, if he still loves me, why hasn't he come and told me?"

Rikki grinned and playfully swatted Bella on the shoulder. "For the same reason you haven't; he's scared that you'll reject him." She shook her head. "You need to say something; you're both miserable without each other, and someone has to make the first move. Guys freak over thing like this, so I think it's going to have to be you."

Bella shook her head. "I need to think about this."

Rikki threw her hands in the air. "What's there to think about? You both are falling apart, and I for one don't want to pick up the pieces unless it's absolutely necessary."

Bella scowled. "Rikki it's not that easy; I think we've waited too long. Maybe we still love each other, but it could be too late." She stood up.

"I need a drink." She said, heading for the door. Zane shot up and reached for her arm.

"I'll get it; I'll get it. Just stick around up here okay?" He said cautiously. Bella growled and slapped his hand away.

"Just leave me alone!" She screamed and walked out the door and downstairs. Zane groaned.

"Bella!" He began to follow her, but Rikki grabbed his arm.

"Zane, let her go; she needs some time alone." I nodded in agreement, but Zane shook his head stubbornly.

"The whole POINT of tonight is that you guys CANNOT be alone under any circumstances. I understand that's she's upset, but that just means that she'll be more vulnerable," and with that he stalked out the door, calling Bella's name.

Bella's POV:

A million different emotions were running though my mind, and I needed to be by myself if I was ever going to get them sorted out. I knew one thing for certain; I wanted Will back. No. I NEEDED him back. My mind was spinning out of control; I couldn't take this anymore. I had to know now whether or not he truly did still love me. I heard Zane's footsteps as he pounded down the stairs, and then I heard him call me. I knew that he would never let me leave the house if I asked. I didn't think about anything but my destination as I quickly dashed out the back door and began running in the direction of the pier, full moon and eclipse forgotten. I had finally realized that I needed to try and talk to Will; I only hoped that I wouldn't be too late.

**A/N: Things are starting to heat up, BIG TIME! This was a really long chapter, but I'm really happy with how it came out. Please review, it makes me so happy and really encourages me to update faster! Thank you for reading! :)**

**Ella:)**


	4. Chapter 4: Troubled Waters

**A/N: Okay, here's where the good part starts! I've been planning this ever since I started writing Hold On Tight, so I'm really excited! I really hope you like this!**

**Disclaimer: I do not Own H2O Just Add Water.**

CHAPTER 4

Will's POV:

I was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic, cooped up in this boat shed with all the doors locked, and all the windows locked and covered besides. It had been different when I was just helping the girls; then I could leave whenever I wanted to and nothing would happen, but now it was different. I was freaked about what might happen if I were to see the moon, but I also was freaked about what I would do if I just stayed in here; I thought I was going to go crazy. I don't know how the girls stood it all these years. I sighed and began pacing up and down restlessly.

"Oh relax mate!" Lewis called from the couch where he was engrossed in an issue of _National Geographic_. "You've got hours left until the moon sets; you might as well take it easy while you can."

"What do you mean, 'while I can?'" I asked nervously, spinning around to face him. "Do you think something is going to happen later?"

He shrugged. "No, but you can never rule out the possibility that something might, so I was just saying."

"Well don't just say it if you don't mean it!" I snapped, and then I did a retake. What was wrong with me anyway? "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so…so…"

"Annoying, bothersome, snappish, rude, pesky, insane, idiotic, oh and just plain _stupid_, irritating, exasperating, discourteous…"

I grinned in spite of myself. "Okay, okay, I get the picture." I said, holding up my hand for him to stop.

He chuckled. "I didn't really mean it." He said apologetically. I raised my eyebrows.

He grinned. "Okay maybe I meant a few of them." He reconsidered.

I laughed. "I thought so." I sat down beside him. "Well, now that we have that settled, what do we do for the rest of the night?"

"I don't know. Didn't you say you had some new specimens that you picked up yesterday? Maybe we could catalog them."

I nodded. "Sounds good; I'll get my laptop. The specimens are on the desk." He got up and headed for the other side of the room, and I stepped into my bedroom to grab the computer.

I was leaning down to grab the cord when my eyes caught a glimmer of light. I looked up slowly and saw a bit of moonlight seeping it's way through a tear in the black paper covering my bedroom window. I stood up and walked stiffly over to the window. My fingers seemed to be moving all by themselves as they reached out and pulled the rest of the paper away, flooding the room with moonlight. I stared at the moon; a strange feeling coming over me. I felt safe and calm, not afraid and crazy like I thought I would. I felt as sane as I had before, but I also had this weird feeling that something wasn't right. I something was wrong, and I knew it; I felt it. My head was pounding and suddenly everything went dark and something flashed before my eyes. It was so quick but there was no mistake.

It was Bella, she was walking and then someone or something grabbed her. It looked…like water. Then just as quick as this hallucination had come, it was gone. I blinked my eyes and saw the moon again. I was trying to puzzle out what was happening to me when Lewis walked in.

"Hey Will? You're taking an awfully long time to get the –" he broke off whatever he was saying when he saw me at the window. "Oh no," he groaned. "Will? Seriously? You couldn't make tonight just a little easier? Honestly, I had everything all set up. NOTHING could have gone wrong!" He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

I turned away from the window. "Take it easy mate, nothing's wrong. I saw the moon, but I feel fine. I don't suddenly have an overwhelming desire to swim or anything like that."

He looked at me suspiciously. "Is this some kind of a ruse?" He questioned. "Because the girls have tried this before."

I sighed. "No. This is not a ruse; I'm totally on the level with you. I am FINE; I promise."

He shrugged. "Okay, I'll take your word for it, but I'll be keeping a close eye on you." He warned.

I smiled nervously. "About that…" I began.

"Ah ha!" He shouted triumphantly. "I knew this was just a trick!"

I groaned. "No. It's just that l –" I paused.

"Just that what?" He asked skeptically.

I sighed, "Look, after I saw the moon, I did feel strange; I'll admit that, but I also saw something else. It was like a vision or something. I saw Bella, and she was in trouble." I looked him in the eyes.

"Lewis," I said seriously. "I have to go and make sure she's okay. I saw something happening, and I need to know what's going on."

Lewis put his hand out in a 'stop' sign. "Relax, I'm going to text the girls and see. Then you won't have to go anywhere."

"But I – " I began to protest.

"No buts," he said, cutting me off sternly. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed a quick message.

"Cleo should respond in a few seconds, and you'll see for yourself that everything is one hundred percent fine, and that you're worrying over nothing," he assured me, but I wasn't convinced. I knew what I had seen, and no text message was going to be enough to convince me otherwise. Lewis's phone beeped.

"Ah, here we are," he said, switching on his phone. "Now, Cleo says –" he stopped abruptly.

"What, what? What does it say?" I asked nervously.

Lewis shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe this," he said slowly. "Bella's gone missing, and Zane's out looking for her. The Cleo and Rikki are alone." He turned and quickly left the room. Once in the living room again, he grabbed his backpack and headed for the door.

"Wait, where are YOU going?" I asked, confused.

"I'm going to go stay with the girls. I know I can't stop you from looking for Bella now; I wouldn't let anything stop me if it was Cleo who was in trouble. Just try and use common sense and stay safe okay?" He cautioned. "Now, hurry up. Let's go!"

I didn't need any more encouragement. I shot out the door and practically knocked Lewis down as I flew past. Then I stopped abruptly and looked up at the moon.

Lewis looked at me strangely. "What are you doing?" He asked.

I didn't answer. I was waiting to find out where I needed to go. The moon had shown me what was happening, surely it could show me where.

Then, just like that, I knew.

Mako.

I felt an unseen force pull me towards the edge of the dock and to the water and I dived in without hesitating. I changed and surfaced quickly, paddling my tail hard to keep afloat.

"Mako?" Lewis questioned worriedly.

I nodded.

"I've got to go," he said hurriedly, "I don't like the idea of Cleo and Rikki alone during all this, but just promise me you won't take any unnecessary risks." He said urgently.

"I promise," I replied solemnly. "Now go! The girls need you way more than I do right now." He nodded and turned quickly, jogging down the pier until he was out of sight. I was about to head under into the dark and ominous waters when I heard a scream in the distance. It sounded frighteningly like Bella.

"Oh god," I gasped. "Lewis!" I called, hoping that he was within hearing distance. He appeared a few seconds later, running towards me.

"It's Bella; something grabbed her…like the tentacle…heading for Mako…go NOW!" Lewis was gasping for breath, partly because of the running and partly of pure fear. He turned without another word and ran back up the dock and in the direction of Cleo's house.

I had been right. Something had happened, and it was all connecting with Mako. Why was I not surprised? I set my jaw determinedly, dived beneath the waves, and began to speed swim towards Mako. I didn't care if Bella and I were dating or not dating, angry or upset, right now I forgot everything but the fact that the girl I loved was in trouble, and I was the only one who could save her.

Bella's POV:

After I left the house, I didn't stop to think about all the danger I was putting myself and possibly the girls into. I didn't think about the ocean that was beckoning me with its irresistible force. I didn't think about the moon that was bathing me in it's eerie light. All I thought of was Will. That was my first mistake.

I was nearing the pier where Will's boathouse was situated when I felt like something was watching me. I figured that it was probably the moon, it always was watching us on nights like this; we had come to accept it, and I was actually surprised that I wasn't moonstruck. I'd seen the moon several times without even thinking twice about it, but so far nothing had happened. I was beginning to slow down my pace when something grabbed me from the back. I tried to scream, but words wouldn't come out. It was like the tentacle that had grabbed Rikki and had later grabbed me during the whole mess with the comet. This water enclosed me, wrapping its strange fingers around my body like a net. Then it flashed back under the sea and began pulling me at lighting speed through the water. I transformed, still in it's grasps, and I couldn't tell where we were going; I couldn't even tell which way was up or down, but I was pretty sure we were heading for Mako. I was terrified, and the worst part was that I knew nobody would be looking for me. Zane would never let the girls come find me, and he couldn't swim fast enough. By the time he even realized that I was at Mako, it would probably be too late.

Will's POV

I don't think that I've ever swum so fast before; I got to Mako in record time. The water around the island felt uneasy, and I knew Bella must be close by. I was in the moon pool before you knew it, and I surfaced quickly. I shook the water out of my eyes and looked around. Then I saw her. In the center of the pool was Bella, incased in a tower of water that seemed to be trying to strangle her. Her eyes flew open and her mouth moved, but I couldn't hear a sound. Her gaze fastened on me though, and her eyes pleaded for help.

Bella's POV:

I saw Will and my heart jumped. I didn't know why he was here; I thought he was with Lewis. I tried to call out to him, but I don't think he could hear me. I was scared, so scared, but I somehow felt safer because I knew Will was here. I knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to me.

**A/N: The next chapter is going to be my favorite; actually I plan to get started on it right away so stay tuned! :) Thanks for reading! :-D**


	5. Chapter 5: The Battle

**A/N: Okay, I know it's been awhile and I am kind of sorry, but I needed a little break to get my account set up, to finish school, and brainstorm for story ideas. I swear my mind had literally gone blank and I didn't want to stress myself by trying to hard. Things are good now though and I want to thank all of you for being so patient with me. I'm really happy with the chapters that I wrote over the past few weeks and I really hope you like them! I'm also really psyched that I finally have my own account! :):) Anyway, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own H2O Just Add Water.**

CHAPTER 5

Will's POV

I watched as the tentacle engulfed my ex-girlfriend, and I knew that I needed to do something before it was too late. The water muffled all sounds, but I could tell from the look on Bella's face that she was still fully conscious and that she was terrified. I almost wished the girls were here – they had powers.

But then it hit me –

So did I.

I couldn't believe how stupid I was. I_ had _a power, and it was a tentacle power on top of that. My tentacles were obviously not as strong as the one created by the full moon, but I could maybe get this monster to let go of Bella using them. As I was thinking, right before my eyes, I saw the net-like appendages of the tentacle begin to close around Bella's neck, and I saw her mouth open wide in a scream. I stopped thinking at that moment and twisted my hand palm up, forming a large whirlpool in the center of the moon pool. I slowly angled my fingers so that they pointed upward; immediately one of my tentacles rose from the whirlpool, and I aimed it at the tentacle that had Bella in its grasp. I tried not to aim it at her face, but it would be impossible for her not to feel the impact. I quickly fired the tentacle at her tail. As far as I knew, this situation had never happened before. I had never had any reason to use my power for anything more than amusement in the past. I didn't know what would happen when my tentacle hit its mark.

A split second later, I found out.

My tentacle collided with the humongous tower of water, making a small dent and shaking it visibly. I shot another and it hit just below my first one. Bella was watching my every move and seemed to still be breathing normally, and for that I was thankful, but I wanted that thing to let her go completely, and I wasn't going to stop until it had. I fired a third tentacle, but I think three ended the tower's limit of tolerance, because it sent out a missile of water at me. I dodged it, and it hit the rock wall behind me, leaving an impact in the wall itself. I gulped, but turned back around and prepared to fire another tentacle, but the water tower was too fast for me. In less than an instant it dispatched three more missiles at me, two of which missed, but the third found it's mark. It slammed into my chest, making me feel like I had just been hit by a freight train. I gasped in pain and staggered backwards in the water, sinking a bit as I stopped propelling myself with my tail. I recovered quickly though and managed to fire another tentacle before any more missiles came my way.

When my next tentacle hit the tower, it released Bella. She sank beneath the water, and I dove under to catch her. I pulled her to the surface, scared that maybe the tentacle had harmed her in some way. She opened her eyes immediately and looked at me in relief.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly, caressing her hair with my fingers.

"Yes," she choked. "but I was so scared…" she began, but her voice trailed off and she started sobbing. I held her tightly to my chest, forgetting everything except for how much I loved her, even though we weren't together anymore. Then I had that weird sensation that I was being watched, again. I turned my head slightly; trying not to jar Bella in any way, and what I saw made me gasp in horror.

The tentacle had expanded into three water towers, each even bigger than the one that had attacked Bella. Their netted appendages wriggled creepily as they drifted ominously above our heads, and I was momentarily paralyzed. I was brought out of my state of shock quickly though, when the sound of a rushing wind filled the cave and the tower in the middle fired a long dart of water in our direction.

"Look out!" I cried, shielding Bella with my body and ducking over to the side. The dart crashed and wedged itself into the rocks right behind the spot where we had just been seconds ago. Bella saw the other tentacles for the first time, and her eyes grew wide. She clutched my arm tightly and began shaking with fright.

"You need to get out of the water!" I shouted over the wind.

"How?" she cried, "there's no way!"

"I'll distract the tentacles. Just get out and go where they can't reach you." I said firmly. Nine water darts flew in our direction all at once. Bella screamed and ducked beneath the water just on time. Six of the darts wedged into the rock behind where her head had been. My reflexes hadn't been as fast, and one dart struck my arm. It felt like I had just been stabbed with a red-hot poker. The pain was unbearable. I though I was going to black out, but I pulled myself together as Bella resurfaced, steadying myself against the rock wall behind me.

"Oh my god, that was close! I didn't see – " She broke off suddenly and stifled a scream. "Will, your arm!"

I looked down and saw the ugly red mark that had formed as a result of the dart. It was bright red in the center, and was surrounded by smaller red rings, almost like a humongous spider bite. I bit my lip, trying to stay focused.

"I know, I know, one of those things hit me." I said quickly, brushing it of like it was relatively unimportant, despite the intense pain that was continually coursing through my body. "We haven't got a lot of time; you need to go, NOW!" I shouted, forming a whirlpool and quickly drawing a tentacle out of it. I fired it at the tower nearest to the exit back into the cave from the pool. It reared back in rage as my tentacle hit and darted forward, reaching it's large arms out to me and slapping me hard from my shoulder to where my tail began. I screamed in pain just as Bella ducked under the water, and swam past the tentacle, coming dangerously close, but making it. I ignored my injuries just long enough to dodge the tower, and shoot a few more tentacles in its direction. They all missed, and they just seemed to make it angrier. I paddled back and glanced quickly in Bella's direction. She was out of the water and had just regained her legs. She stood up and ducked behind the rock wall, but peered out and looked at me fearfully. My body sagged with relief. She was okay. I snapped back to my present situation immediately though as I observed the three tentacles beginning to close in on me. I looked wildly at the exit into the sea, but there was a tower blocking the way. I looked over to where Bella had left, but the other towers blocked that one once again.

I was trapped.

I spun a new whirlpool in desperation, but I was physically and emotionally exhausted. My pool was very small, and the tentacle it produced was pathetic; it was like trying to stab a tree with a toothpick. I could feel my strength slowly ebbing away and my mind began to get cloudy. I cave seemed to be getting darker – or was that just because I was beginning to loose consciousness? I wasn't sure, and I reached out my arm and feebly fired the tentacle in a desperate last attempt.

My aim was off, and my tentacle struck a rock wall a few feet away. I knew then that I was done for. The three towers reared their ugly heads like snakes above me, and began to close in for the kill. I fought with my eyes to keep them open, but my body won in the end. I whispered Bella's name and then I heard her scream as the three tentacles made a grab for me. The feeling of their slimy fingers wrapped around my body combined with the agonizing burning sensation from their stings was all I remembered as I sunk into a deep and frightening darkness.

* * *

Bella's POV:

I screamed as the three tentacles crashed into Will, enclosing his limp body in a twirling tower of water. The wind grew louder, the tower twisted from side to side, and the cave got darker and darker. This was all like a bad dream and I just wanted to wake up. I glanced back at the pool. The water was beginning to wrap its arms around Will's neck. I gaped in horror, but was too terrified to make a sound. I knew that I couldn't do anything to help. My power would probably just make things worse. Tears were running down my face, and I felt like the walls of the cave were closing in on me. The wind suddenly reached its peak, and I swear that the walls of the cavern literally shook.

Then…

It stopped. The wind cut and the silence shocked me so much that I actually stopped breathing. My eyes flew to the pool. The tentacles released Will immediately, and he sank lifelessly under the water. The three water towers shriveled and twisted in agony before disappearing altogether. I looked around in wonder to see what was causing this sudden change in activity. Then my eyes drifted up to the top of the cave just in time to see the last shimmer of the moon leave us.

So that was it.

The moon had set, and with it, all the powers and magic left. I stepped out from the corner where I had been cowering and slowly approached the water. I could see Will under it and I dived in without a second thought. I somehow managed to get him to the surface and up on the rock shelf, although now I don't know exactly how. Once we were both out of the water I turned the water droplets on both if us into jelly and brushed them off. Our legs returned, and I crouched by Will's side, waiting for him to come to. I placed my hand in his, willing him to just wake up. Minutes passed, but to me they seemed like hours. The more time passed the more scared I became.

Then I thought I saw Will stir.

I blinked and starred at him closely. Sure enough, he moved again, turning his head to one side and moaning lightly. His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at me in confusion.

"What happened?" He mumbled, rubbing his forehead and wincing with pain.

"The tentacle," was all I said. He grimaced in remembrance and shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you alright?" He croaked.

I gave a weak smile. "I'm fine, you took the brunt of the force I think. I never even got hit."

"That's a good thing; you don't need the experience," he groaned, turning his head slightly to look at his arm.

"Wow," he said weakly, looking at the mark that had pretty much doubled in size. "That's so going to scar." He cracked a small smile and began to sit up.

"Whoa, whoa wait a second!" I cried, trying to push him gently back down. "Maybe you should just stay put for a little while. You took quite a beating by those tentacles."

He shook his head. "I'm fine, and I should probably go anyway." He looked at me sadly and stood up shakily. I reached out to help him, but he steadied himself without my help and gently brushed my hand away. I let my arm drop limply to my side, feeling upset, helpless, and confused all at once. I watched as Will slowly made his way over to the side of the pool and thought about how this whole scene seemed far too familiar. Had it really only been a month since the last full moon? So much had happened since then that it was hard to comprehend.

"Will, are you sure –?" I began, not wanting him to injure himself by doing too much too soon.

He nodded. "I'm fine." He repeated. "I…" he seemed like he wanted to say something more, but instead he just stared at me. Then he slowly shook his head, not in disgust, but in sadness almost. Then he was gone. He disappeared beneath the water, leaving a circle of ripples where his head and shoulders had been. I saw the flash of his red tail as he exited the pool.

Then I remembered.

I hadn't even thanked him.

Will's POV:

I left the moon pool and swam slowly back to the beach. I didn't have the strength to power swim, and I was still trying to wrap my head around what had just happened tonight. I still had my tail, that was a plus, but it seemed like every part of my body was sore, sometimes more than just sore. There was a stinging, burning sensation coursing through my veins and I knew deep down that that probably wasn't a good sign. I stupidly ignored it though, and once I got back on land and got my legs back, I began limping painfully in the direction of my boatshed. All I wanted was to just lie down and sleep. It had been a long and terrifying night and I was exhausted.

I finally made it to my house. I had staggered through the door and had just started towards my bedroom when I was hit by a wave of dizziness. I reached for the wall in an effort to keep myself from falling, but it was all just too much. My knees buckled and I hit the floor with a thud. I saw random flashes of light and I felt extremely weak and confused. A roaring noise filled my ears that sounded all too much like the wind from the cave. I tried to cry out, but my throat wouldn't make the words. My mind began to cloud. I just…wanted…to sleep. I wanted…to close…my…my…eyes…..

**A/N: What's happening to Will? Is he going to be okay? Is Bella ever going to find out how he really feels for her? I guess you'll find out in the next chapter! Hahahaha…. I FEEL SO POWERFUL! Okay, that was kind of creepy. Well, if you're still reading this you must be used to my weirdness. :) LOL, well stay tuned for the next chapter, I'll post it after I get at least three reviews. Please review! :-D Thank you so much for reading! :)**

**Ella:)**


	6. Chapter 6: Pain and Panic

**A/N: I'm on a roll here! I'm almost done writing this story; there's going to be about five more chapters I think, maybe more, but idk. This one is another crucial chapter and I know I left a sort of cliffhanger last time, so SORRY! Well, anyway, here's the next chapter. Things are getting serious**

**Disclaimer: I do not own H2O just add water.**

Bella's POV:

I stared after Will as he left and shook myself. He had risked his life for me. Again.

I didn't know why; I thought that he was still mad at me, but yet he had come to my rescue. He had held me in his arms, he had worried about me and ultimately he had saved my life. I didn't know what to think; it had been all been so much, and so fast. I had started out trying to find out how Will felt about me, and despite all that had happened, I still knew no more than I had before I left Cleo's house. I needed to find him, and I needed to talk to him.

A rustling sound came from behind me and I jumped.

"Bella!" came a call. "Bella!" It sounded like Zane.

"Zane?" I called back. "I'm in here!"

Zane rounded the corner of the cave and came into full view.

"Oh gosh, Bella are you okay?" He cried, jogging over to where I was and looking me over quickly from head to foot.

"Zane I'm fine but – "

"Thank goodness," he moaned, running a hand through his hair. He then waved his hands at me in frustration.

"Bella, what were you thinking!" He shouted, "Honestly, do you know how worriedly we all were?"

"Zane, I'm sorry, but – "

"Do you realize if something had happened to you, Lewis and Rikki would have gotten into a terrible fight?!" He screeched.

"Zane calm – " I broke of my sentence and looked at him in confusion. "Lewis and Rikki? Why would they get into a fight?"

"A fight over who would get to kill me first!" Zane cried indignantly. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Talk about over dramatic.

"Well it's true!" He defended, "You know how Lewis is, and don't even get me started on Rikki." He shook his head. "But now back to you. What happened? Are you all right?"

"I think I'm fine, but Zane the tentacle's back." I said quickly, before he could interrupt me again. "It kidnapped me, and brought me here.'

"Wait, what?" Zane cried, starring at me. "The tentacle? I thought we got rid of that thing when you guys saved the world last year?" He said it so matter-of-factly that I almost laughed, but then I remembered Will, and I turned serious once again.

"I thought so too, but it's back, and this time it was even worse than before. There were three of them, and they attacked me and Will, and he – "

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second, _Will_? He was here? When? Why? How did he –"

" – I don't know," I cut in. "He didn't say how he knew what was wrong, or why he was even out on a full moon. All I knew was that he saved my life tonight. He used his tentacle power to fight away the water tower, but then it turned and attacked him after I got out of the water. He was knocked out, but when he came to, he acted like he was fine, but I don't really think he really was, and Zane I'm so worried about him." I kept talking until I was out of breath, and I ended by looking at Zane pleadingly.

"Please Zane, we have to make sure he's okay."

"Bella calm down," Zane said soothingly. "Don't worry. If you feel this strongly about it, we can head right over to his place now, just to check up on him. I'll text Lewis and the girls as well to let them know you're alright and where we're going to be, okay?"

I nodded shakily, and he pulled out his phone. He pressed a few buttons, and then pocketed it once again.

"Okay, we're all set," he said. I turned and dove back into the water.

"I'll meet you there." I called over my shoulder. He nodded silently and then quickly left the cave.

I dove beneath the water and began to power swim. I was tired after my night's adventure, so I wasn't going as fast as I normally could, but it didn't really matter because even at this pace I would get to the mainland long before Zane. I would probably need his help to get out of the water, even if Will was fine, because if there were people around, I couldn't risk calling out. With these thoughts in mind, I slowed my pace even more, so that now I was swimming easier, a bit like when the girls and I swam for fun, but I was going slightly faster then normal. Even at my greatly reduced speed, I still reached the docks before Zane. I stayed a good distance out to sea to make sure that any other boats that passed wouldn't be able to see me. Pretty soon I spied his motorboat pulling into the bay, and I swam over to the dock. I only had to wait a few more seconds before I heard his footsteps padding across the deck. I swam over and he looked around quickly before helping me out of the water and onto the dock. In about three seconds I was dry, thanks to my power. I stood up and headed for Will's front door. I knocked lightly and waited for an answer.

Nothing.

Not even a call from inside saying that the door was open, or to just come in. There was just silence, and I didn't like it. It was about five in the morning now, and the only thing I could think of was that he might be asleep. I turned to Zane.

"Now what?" I said, trying not to panic. "Where is he?"

Zane shook his head, "Relax," he said practically, "Try texting him. Maybe it'll wake him up if he is asleep."

I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of that before. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, but then hesitated. I hadn't texted Will since we broke up. It's not like I was mad at him or anything, how could I be when he had just saved my life barely an hour ago? But texting him…I felt weird and a bit uncomfortable. What if he was perfectly fine? What if nothing at all was wrong? I would look stupid texting him; like I was desperate, like I had read too much into something any person, or err…_mer_ would have done. I slowly slid my phone back into my pocket and looked over at Zane.

"Can you text him? I'm…umm…almost done with my message limit for this month, and I don't want to text unless absolutely necessary."

Zane looked at me strangely, but all he said was, "sure." I watched him hit the "send" button, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. A few seconds passed, but no reply. A minute or so, and still nothing. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to think about something else to stop myself from going crazy. _Swimming…water…mermaids…tentacle_…my eyes flew open and I shook myself. This wasn't helping; that was obvious. I clicked the home button on my phone; it had been five minutes since Zane sent the text.

"Try calling," I urged. Zane didn't say anything, but I could tell that he was starting to get worried now too. I watched as he pressed Will's speed dial and held the phone to his ear. His volume was on high, so I could hear the rings.

_Ring. _

If he was asleep, this probably just woke him up.

_Ring. _

He's probably just getting to his phone; maybe it's on the other side of the room.

_Ring._

Maybe he tripped, or something, but no, we would have heard something; we were right outside the door.

_Ring._

Something was wrong.

_Hi this is Will. I'm unavailable at the moment, but if you would please leave a message at the tone, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks. _

_**Beep**_**.**

Zane hung up and looked at me. Then he approached he door and knocked one more time.

"Will? Will are you in there?" He called, knocking again. No answer. He swore under his breath and reached for the handle, opened the door, and stepped inside with me close at his heels. We looked around the immediate living room, but saw nothing. Zane headed in the direction of the bedroom, and I approached Will's lab. It had only been a second when I heard Zane gasp in horror.

"Oh god, Will! Can you hear me mate?"

My blood went cold, and I froze in terror. Pulling myself together, I turned and fled over to where Zane's voice had come from. He was kneeling on the floor just outside of the doorway to Will's bedroom. Will was sprawled on the floor, his face white as a sheet. I muffled a scream as I knelt down beside Zane.

"Zane, what's wrong with him?" I asked, fighting off hysteria with all my might. Zane shook his head,

"I don't know," he said, sounding scared. I took Will's limp hand in my own, but then gasped in surprise. "Oh my god, Zane he's so hot!" I reached for his forehead and pulled my hand away in shock.

Zane felt his arm. "You're right, he's burning up, "he said worriedly, "And I don't think using water on him would be a good idea right now. Transforming might just make things worse." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed a speed dial.

"Who are you calling?" I choked, pressing Will's scorching hand to my cheek.

"Lewis," Zane said shortly, putting the phone to his ear. "If anyone can figure out what's going on, it's him."

LINEBREAK

"I don't understand this," Lewis said, a puzzled and slightly frantic frown creasing his face. "One second he's burning hot, the next, he's cold as ice. I don't know how his body can take it; I mean, _it's not humanly possible_."

I sat close behind Lewis, as close to Will as possible. I was terrified at his condition. Like Lewis had said, one minute he was hot and then he was cold. He was still unconscious, and I could tell that even Lewis was getting scared now. What horrified me the most was that taking him to a hospital was out of the question. One second in one of those examining rooms and our secret would be exposed to the world, right in the midst of the best scientific labs in the county. And it wasn't just that that was the problem. The hospital wouldn't even know what to do if this was some strange mer sickness, and I suppose that was what really scared me.

Cleo and Rikki were here too, it was about six in the morning, the moon had set hours ago and it was safe to leave the house. They were with Zane in the living room, waiting for the diagnostics, but from what I could see, I don't think Lewis had anything to tell them. He was feeling for Will's pulse, and shaking his head in confusion.

"I don't get it," he said in amazement, "his pulse is freakishly unsteady; I don't see how he's even alive right now." He turned to face me and gave me a blank look. "I have no idea what's going on," he said, almost angrily. "I can only think that the tentacles that hit him in the pool have caused some sort of reaction, maybe in relation to that sting on his arm. It seems to have gotten more irritated."

I followed his gaze down to Will's arm and saw that he was right; the sting had inflamed quite a bit and looked almost like an oversized mosquito bite, just twice as red, and twice as swollen. Angry red tendrils spread out from the center like the legs of a spider. I'd never seen anything like it before. Just then, Will moaned slightly, and squirmed a bit from his position on his bed. Lewis jumped and stared at him. I was on my feet in a split second and by his side. Will's eyes fluttered a bit, and he opened them long enough to lock his gaze with mine. His eyes widened with recognition, but then he groaned and shut them again.

"Will, Will! No, come on, stay with us mate!" Lewis encouraged frantically. He turned to me, "Bella, talk to him!"

I turned back to Will and began rubbing his hand soothingly. Lewis was flipping through an old book, but he soon slammed it down on the night table in frustration.

"There's nothing here," He snapped, aggravated. "I'm going to try the Internet, maybe I'll find something there. Try and keep him awake!" He urged. Then he turned and stormed out the door and into the living room. I had never seen him act this way; I think it was because of all the pressure he was under. Having someone life resting in your hands was nothing to underestimate. I turned back to Will who was still once again.

"Hey," I said softly, reaching for his hand, "Are you awake?"

He shifted uncomfortably and cracked one eye open.

"What are you doing here?" He mumbled, closing his eyes again.

"I was worried about you. After what happened in the water, you could have been killed." I shuddered visibly.

Both of his eyes opened, and he stared up at me. A smile formed on his lips.

"How did I get here?" He asked weakly, looking around at his bed where he was covered with a blanket. "I don't remember getting to my room," He stopped and thought for a second.

"Actually," he added, "I don't remember much after the tentacle. Everything's kind of fuzzy."

I explained what had happened as simply as I could. "You swam away after you saved me, I think you must have just been on your way to your room when you collapsed outside the door. Zane and I found you, and he and Lewis carried you here."

He looked like he was about to say something, but then his face twisted in pain. "What's wrong with me anyway?" He moaned. "What's happening?"

I shook my head sadly. "I don't know." I said honestly. "Lewis said he was going to do some checking online, but I can't imagine that he'd actually find anything. Maybe he will, but he says he's never seen anything like this before, and his books don't mention it.

He began to nod, but then grimaced again. I looked at him with concern. "What hurts? Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

He opened his eyes. "Nothing that I could pinpoint exactly, but my whole body just aches. Sometimes things just hurt all of a sudden, and I don't know what's going to hurt next, or how bad." I reached for his hand and squeezed it sympathetically. He looked at me strangely, but he didn't pull away. I remembered just then that we weren't officially back together. Heck, we hadn't even discussed our feelings for each other, but somehow this felt right.

Lewis came in just at that moment, and I looked up.

"Did you find anything?" I asked immediately. He nodded.

"Bella, go out and look at what I pulled up on the computer. The girls want to talk to you too."

I could feel myself starting to shake. "Lewis, what's wrong? What did you find?" I asked, forcing my voice to come out natural; I didn't want to freak Will out any more than he already was.

Lewis looked me in the eyes.

"I think I've found out what's going on."

**A/N: ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! Oh gosh, I'm horrible, I know, but this chapter was heading towards 3,000 words, and I need to save some stuff for the next chap. Don't worry though, if I get enough reviews, I WILL update sooner than usual. Remember, YOU determine when I update for the most part. If the chapters are ready, I'll post them if I get at least three reviews. I just want to get feedback on the previous chapter so I know if I should fix anything, or if something doesn't make sense…etc… So yeah, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. :) I know I'm not the best writer ever, and if you see any spots where I could improve, I'd love for you to point them out, as long as it's done nicely (meaning, don't tell me I suck unless you have a good reason!) Anyway, yadda yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah…I really hope you liked this chapter and the next one is already set to go…we'll just see when…**

**Ella:)**


	7. Chapter 7: The Ultimatum

**A/N: Thank you so much for all your awesome reviews! Here's the next chapter! :)**

CHAPTER 7

Bella's POV:

"You did? Oh god, what's wrong? Is he going to be okay?" I gasped, standing up quickly. Lewis just motioned for me to come outside. I turned back to Will, but his eyes were closed once again. He appeared to be asleep.

"But what about…" my voice trailed off and I motion to Will. Lewis shook his head.

"Just come with me for a second, He'll be alright." His voice sounded strange and he looked upset. This only scared me more and I numbly followed him out the door and into the living room. The minute I stepped outside the door, I knew something was seriously wrong. Cleo was staring at the floor, and Rikki looked like she was about to cry. Zane had his arm around her, and I turned to Lewis in fright now that Will was safely out of earshot.

"Lewis, tell me, what's wrong with him?" I cried, feeling my heart beginning to race.

He sighed. "Bella, the tentacle wasn't an ordinary tentacle. If it had been, we wouldn't have had anything to worry about. It's known as the Cantata Moon Tentacle. It appears only during a special planetary line-up that occurred last night. I'm so sorry Bella, I should have been more careful in my research. I miscalculated this line-up and thought that it was occurring next month. I've been so caught up with Cleo, and being back that I did the research in a rush. Even then though, I've never heard if this tentacle before."

I shook my head. "Lewis, it's not your fault, but how did the tentacle do…this?" I motioned in the direction of Will's bedroom. "Is it normal? Will he get better?" I didn't like the look on his face. I didn't like how horrible this situation was. I didn't like the idea that I actually had to ask these questions.

And I didn't the fact that he didn't answer me.

"Lewis," I asked again, fighting off panic. "He will get better, won't he?"

Lewis looked at Cleo and they exchanged glances. Then I couldn't take it anymore.

"Lewis, tell me!" I cried, tears spilling out of my eyes and down my cheeks. "What's wrong? What's happening to him?" I looked at him pleadingly, and he shot Cleo a defeated look.

"Bella, I think you should sit down." He said softly, motioning to a chair. I sat down and wiped my eyes roughly. Lewis sat beside me and Cleo came over and sat down too. She intertwined her fingers with his and rubbed his shoulder lightly. He paused for a second; soaking up the encouragement she was giving him, and then he turned to me.

"Bella," he began slowly. "The Cantata Moon Tentacle's bite is fatal. Sometimes if there is only one bite and if the victim is in good health there's a good chance that they'll recover if the bite is relatively small. Will was bitten several times, and there's no cure for that except for an ultimatum."

My mind was spinning. "What do you mean an ultimatum?" I choked. "That's something isn't it? An ultimatum for what?" I tried to grab hold onto even the smallest glimmer of hope, but the sinking feeling in my stomach told me that there was barely anything to grasp.

Lewis turned away, like he didn't want to look at me when he told me the truth. "The ultimatum is between life and death." He said. "The only antidote for the poison of the tentacle is the combination of three of the powers of the mermaid; shaping, heating, and jelling will all work. You girls would have to focus your powers on Will for a certain amount of time. If we catch the poison before it takes over his whole body, we can cancel out its effects. He'll be weak, but at least he'll be alive."

"But what if we don't?" I whispered. "What if it doesn't work?"

At my question, he turned and faced me again. He expression was sad. "If it doesn't work.' He said slowly, "his weakened state will make him vulnerable to the negative forces of your powers." He looked me in the eye, "your powers will kill him, and if they don't, the tentacle's poison will anyway."

I stared at him. "No…no," I gasped, not believing what I was hearing. "No, you're lying!" I screamed, hysteria taking over. "No, it's not true!" I started sobbing, and I felt Cleo wrap her arms around me. Rikki stood up and came over too and soon we were all hugging each other.

I refused to believe it. _Will couldn't die_. He couldn't. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was a nightmare, that's all. It was nothing more than a stupid nightmare. I would wake up soon and Will would be all right. I kept telling myself that, but even as I said it again and again in my mind, I knew in my heart that I was in denial. This was reality, and no matter what was happening, I needed to face it. I calmed down a bit, but I was still crying, Cleo and Rikki were crying too, and I even saw Zane and Lewis wiping the corners of their eyes.

"So now what?" I said finally, pulling myself together for what must have been the tenth time today. "What do we do now?"

"There's not much else we can do unless he gets worse, but let's not think about that until we have too." Lewis said. "For now, we'll just keep him comfortable and hope that maybe by some miracle his body is strong enough to fight the effects of the poison," He paused, "but I really mean it when I say it would take a miracle." He placed his hand on my arm. "I'm so sorry that I can't do more." He said softly.

I shook my head. "I know you're doing all you can." I said kindly. He smiled sadly at me and then stood up.

"I'm going to see how he's doing." He said simply. I followed him, wiping my eyes gently, trying to remove all traces of tears. When I walked into the bedroom, Lewis had his hand on Will's bare chest and was looking at his watch.

"His heartbeat is a bit slow." He said quietly. "I don't think that's a good sign, but then again, it might not be anything at all. Could you run out and check those sheets I printed from online? Someone actually had a website on mermaids, I'll bet a mermaid created it, because you have to have the right keywords to find it. It had a sheet of symptoms regarding the Cantata Moon Tentacle."

I nodded and went back out to the living room. I was just pulling the sheets from the printer when I heard Lewis call my name. His voice sounded urgent and I nearly tripped as I rushed back into the bedroom.

"What's wrong? What's going – " I broke off my sentence abruptly when I saw Will. "Oh my god," I cried, dropping the papers and rushing to his side. He was shaking and just as I reached him he let out a moan that made my heart ache. His eyes fluttered open and he looked at me soundlessly. He looked scared and I took his hand in mind.

"It's okay, I'm here," I murmured softly, gently tracing patterns on his palm. His eyes closed again, and I looked at Lewis in terror.

"Lewis, what's happening?" I asked, my voice shaking.

He had picked up the papers I had dropped on the floor and was scanning them hurriedly.

"He's in the final stages. The poison is slowly spreading through his bloodstream. Once it reaches his heart, it can't be stopped." He spun around and opened the door. He called Zane, Cleo, and Rikki and then came back to stand beside me as I sat down, still holding Will's hand.

"Why did you call them for?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

"If he gets worse, we're going to have to make the decision of whether or not to try the ultimatum. It could save his life."

"But what about the alternative?" I gasped.

"Don't think about that," Lewis said forcefully. "Just don't, it scares me like hell to think that I could be responsible for making you guys kill someone."

I was about to comfort him when I realized his point.

We could kill him.

I would have to be one of the three powers.

If it didn't work, it would be like I had killed Will. Not on purpose, but that really didn't matter. What did matter was that in the end, he would be dead, and it would be partially because of me. It WAS already partially because of me anyway. If I hadn't left the house when I had Will wouldn't have had to come after me. He never would have been hurt, and his life wouldn't be hanging on a thread this moment. Cleo, Zane and Rikki rushed in just then.

"Lewis, is he…?" Cleo's voice trailed off, and she looked with terror at her boyfriend. Lewis rushed to put his arms around her.

"No, sweetheart. He's not, but he's getting worse. We have to decide now: are we going to do this?" He looked at the three of us. A deathly silence fell onto the room.

"I think…that we need to try everything we can." Rikki said slowly. Zane nodded in agreement and held her tightly. Cleo unburied her face from Lewis's shoulder and caught my eye.

"I think Rikki's right. Bella, what do you think?" She looked at me questioningly. I looked at them, and then at Will. He looked so weak, so helpless. I realized that we didn't have much time with which to decide. I swallowed hard as I realized that the decision now rested solely on me. If I said no, it would be impossible for the girls to do it without me; Lewis said clearly that they needed three powers. If I said yes, and if it didn't work, I would blame myself for the rest of my life, but if I said no, I would always think about what could have happened if we had only tried. It was then that I made my decision.

"I'll do it," I said firmly, looking up into all the eyes that were staring at me. Lewis let out a long sigh.

"Alright, but we're going to have to work fast. I don't know how much time we have, but it says that shaking is a late symptom."

"What exactly do we have to do?" Rikki asked, pulling slightly away from Zane.

Lewis scanned through the paper in his hand. "You girls have to focus your powers on him for 11 seconds times the day of the month, plus the number of the month. It's October 6, so it's seventy-six seconds. When the time is up, you thrust your powers at him, releasing every ounce of force that you have in you. Don't hold anything back; this is going to take everything you've got. We'll know immediately if it's worked or not."

"When do we do it? Does it say exactly?" Cleo asked. Lewis flipped through all three sheets.

"It seems like it can be done at anytime; it mainly just gives the specifics of the process." Lewis continued talking but I tuned him out momentarily. I was looking at Will closely. Something was wrong – I could feel it – and what scared me the most was that the last time I had had this feeling I had been right. I turned to call Lewis over when Will suddenly groaned loudly and shifted from his previously still position. Immediately everyone in the room was alert. I placed my hand on Will's forehead and felt it turn burning hot and then icy cold under my palm. Whatever was causing these suddenly temperature changes was obviously causing him pain too, because he cried out softly and clenched my hand in his.

Lewis was now by my side and was reading something off his paper.

"Guys I think this is it," he said seriously, turning to all of us. 'It's now or never. If we let the poison spread anymore, it'll be to late." I gulped, and turned to look at him.

"Are you sure?" I asked urgently.

"I'm sure," he responded. "You need to line up on one side of him. Come on now, hurry!" Cleo and Rikki came to stand beside the chair where I was sitting. I leaned forwards and gently kissed Will's forehead, tears filling my eyes when I thought about how it might be the last time. I think he was to ill to even notice me at this point. I gently eased my hand out of his and stood up. Lewis moved the chair away and pulled out his phone.

"I have the stopwatch set. When I say go, focus your powers." He said, quickly pressing a few buttons on his touch screen.

What if this didn't work?

"One,"

What if he didn't make it?

"Two,"

What if I messed up, what if I did something wrong?

"Three,"

This was it; it was now or never.

"GO!"

I snapped out of my own thoughts at the sound of Lewis's voice and flicked my hand palm up in Will's direction. Beside me, Cleo and Rikki were doing the same. I could feel the power flowing out of my body and I kept my focus on pulling every bit of magic out of me. It was an exhausting effort, and even a bit painful, but I didn't stop. Seconds ticked by and it seemed like eternity, especially since nothing special seemed to be happening. Then suddenly everything started whirling like instant chaos.

Will groaned again and seemed to be uncomfortable. He shifted a few times, moaning softly. It was pure torture to see him suffering, but if this would save his life, it would be worth it, and it would all be over soon. Then things began to escalate. Will started shaking violently, and then began twitching strangely.

"Lewis, what's wrong with him?" Rikki asked shakily, never letting her force stop, but afraid enough to dare to speak.

"I don't know," Lewis said, a scared look on his face. "He looks like he's having a seizure, but he seems fully conscious and…" his voiced trailed off. He hurriedly flipped through all three pages once again.

"There's nothing here that talks about this." He said, beginning to pace back in forth, his eyes once again fastened to his phone.

"Forty seconds,' he said, "Only thirty left to go."

I didn't know if I could take it. Will's body began having spasms, and when he cried out in pain, it was too much.

"We have to stop!" I cried, tears pouring down my face, "We're killing him!"

"No! Bella, stay focused!" Lewis shouted, "If you stop now, you can't try again; it'll kill him instantly. This is his only chance; you've got to keep going!"

I was hyperventilating, and yet I felt like I couldn't breathe, all at the same time.

"I – I – I can't!" I sobbed, my hand wavering,

"Sixty secon – Bella, no!" Lewis cried, seeing me falter, "Only sixteen seconds left left, come on, you can do this, you HAVE to do this," he said through gritted teeth. Cleo and Rikki were both crying softly by this point and Zane was pacing nervously on the other side of the room.

Lewis looked at his phone. "Five seconds left, get ready to pulled them on full force." He warned, not taking his eyes of his stopwatch. I sniffed and pulled myself together. I could do this. I was going to do this. Will was going to make it; he just had too.

"Three,"

How did it come to this?

"Two"

Will's life could be over in just one second.

"One,"

Two lives could be over, because I knew that I couldn't live without him.

"NOW!" Lewis shouted. The three of us drew our hands back at the same moment. As if we were one, we thrust our hands forward, throwing the last bit of our magic out. I could feel the electricity like a shock go from the tips of my toes to the top of my shoulder and then through my arm and out through my fingers. I felt drained, dizzy and lightheaded. Will thrashed violently, and cried out loudly in pain.

Then he was still.

To still.

He didn't groan; he didn't cry; he didn't move. Lewis approached him cautiously and leaned down to listen for a heartbeat. Sweat was pouring down my back and down my forehead, and I could hear the girls gasping for breath beside me. I didn't look at them; I didn't look at Zane or at Lewis even. My eyes were only on Will and he had yet to make any sign that he was still alive. Then Lewis stood up slowly, his face grave.

I began panicking, every second without movement on Will's part just increasing my fear, and now the expression on Lewis's face…that's when everything began to spin. I felt sick to my stomach and the agony of what had just happened was too much. Everything began to get dark and I felt myself beginning to fall.

"Zane, catch her!" I heard a voice shout, but it seemed so far away…

Rikki's POV:

"Zane, catch her!" I cried, reaching for Bella as she fell with a pitiful moan. Zane caught her carefully in his arms and eased her gently onto the floor.

I looked up away from Bella and at Lewis. I caught his eye, and he shook his head. My breath caught in my throat and I heard Cleo gasp and then begin to sob. Lewis hurried to her side and wrapped his arms around her.

"You – you mean he's…" I refused to say it. I couldn't say it.

Lewis nodded sadly.

"He's not breathing," he said quietly. "And I don't hear a heartbeat."

**A/N: OMG! Third cliffhanger in a row, you guys must hate me! Sooo…is Will really dead? If he is, what's going to happen to Bella without him? Review to find out! The next chapter is already written, and as soon as I get some responses I'll post it! :) Hehehe I'm EVIL! }:-}**

**Thanks for reading!:)**

**Ella:)**


	8. Chapter 8: I Want To Be With You

**A/N: Alrighty, new chapter! Thanks for the reviews and enjoy! This story is moving along faster than I had anticipated, but I'm still several chapters ahead of you guys so with if I get at least three reviews I will update again this week. Five reviews and I'll update tomorrow! :-) I just don't want to rush it. This one is a bit shorter than the others, but it's still over 2,000 words so it's not THAT short. I think once you read the content, you'll forgive me though…right? :(**

**Disclaimer: I do not own H2O just add water.**

Lewis's POV:

_(Literally seconds after the last chapter, not even a minute has gone by)_

I couldn't believe he was actually dead. I knew the chances of the ultimatum working were slim, but I had never really thought much about the alternative. Now here it was in black and white. The girls' powers had killed him.

To be completely honest, he had never really had much of a chance, but I had wanted so badly to believe that he could make it, that we could pull him out of this, but once again, the magic of Mako had it's way. I slide my phone back into my pocket and I could hear the girls talking amongst themselves quietly. It seemed of like Bella was coming too. I saw her beginning to sit up out of the corner of my eye. Her eyes met mine briefly and I shuddered at the hollowness and horror in them. Her sadness seemed overwhelming, so overwhelming that I turned away. As I did my eyes fell on Will's face, lying still against the pillow. I was about to close my eyes, about to shut out this perpetual sorrow that was continually going on around me, when I caught a flash of movement.

I blinked and looked again. I could swear that I saw Will's eyelash flutter. My heart leaped and I stared at him like MY life depended on it. The same eye fluttered again, and then the other. There was no mistake. I grabbed his hand and felt for a pulse; my fingers shook as I felt for the familiar position. I finally found it and held my breath, waiting. Then, there it was – a beat. It was faint – extremely faint – but it was there. I watched his chest closely and saw it slowly rise and then fall in a very slow and shallow breath.

"Guys! Cleo, Bella, Rikki, I think he's alive!" I cried, never taking my eyes off of Will.

Zane jumped to his feet. "Are you sure?" He gasped, coming over to stand beside me.

"See for yourself," I said, grinning from ear to ear. Will's breathing had become more regular; it was now obvious that he wasn't dead.

"Thank God!" Bella cried, pushing her way between us, and clutching Will's hand in hers. Tears were running down her face, but you could tell that they weren't from sadness. I knew that Will and Bella weren't technically a couple anymore, but I realized right away that this situation would clear up all doubts in both of their minds on how they felt for each other. Will groaned slightly and I felt a tug on my arm. I turned to see Cleo standing beside me.

"Let's leave them alone,' she said softly, glancing at Will and Bella. "I think they need some time."

It was then that I noticed that Zane and Rikki were gone. I nodded in agreement and turned and left with Cleo into the living room, shutting the door quietly behind us.

Bella's POV:

Will made a slight sound and my eyes flew to his face. I had heard the door shut, and I realized that I was now alone with Will. I waited patiently until his eyes began to open. They fluttered a bit, but then they opened all the way, and he look around slowly, He turned his head in my direction and his eyes fastened on my face. A small smile spread across his lips, and I could feel myself smiling through my tears.

"Bella?" He murmured, squeezing my hand lightly.

"Oh God, Will…" I wanted to say more, but my voice broke and I started crying again. Several seconds passed as he gained full consciousness. Then he shook his head lightly and turned in my direction.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked slowly, sounding confused, "Are you okay?"

I grinned in spite of myself. "I should be asking you that," I said, smiling at the irony of it all. "I thought…you were dead,"

He looked surprised. "Why?" He asked after several moments of silence. "What happened? I don't remember much…" His voice trailed off into a whisper and he looked at me urgently, alarmed by his obvious memory lapse.

I placed my hand gently on his shoulder. "Shhh," I soothed gently. "It's okay if you can't remember. Don't try too hard." I debated whether or not I should tell him what happened – I didn't want to upset him more. He didn't give me much choice in the matter however.

"Please, tell me," He begged, "I feel like I know, but it's like my mind's all cloudy."

"Are you sure it won't be to much?" I asked worriedly, running my hand through his hair and caressing the side of his cheek.

His eyes warmed and they lost some of that panicking color. "I'm sure," he promised, reaching for my hand that I had dropped down to the side of his bed and giving it a light squeeze.

I squeezed back and began to tell what had happened in as short a version as possible "It was a full moon last night," I began. "I was – " I paused briefly, " – upset and I went for a walk. I was just going by the bay when a tentacle attacked me. It took me back to the moon pool. A few minutes later you got there and rescued me from it, but then – "

" – But then the tentacle turned on me," he finished, remembrance clear on his face. He coughed violently afterwards.

"Are you alright?" I asked in fright, fearing a relapse. He shook his head.

"I'm fine," he choked, lying back against his pillows. "Everything's starting to come back to me; I knew something was wrong; I had seen a…a…vision or something of you being attacked before it happened. I'm just sorry I didn't make it to you on time to avoid all of this." He looked upset and it just made me feel guilty. He shouldn't be upset over something that was completely and utterly my fault.

"Don't even think about blaming yourself," I said fiercely, clenching my free hand in and out of a fist. "It was my fault completely. I'm the one who left the house on a full moon. And to think it almost cost…" I didn't say it, but our eyes met and we both knew what the other was thinking.

"Why did you leave anyway?" Will asked, breaking the awkwardness. "The moon didn't make me moonstruck, so I'm sure it didn't make you either."

I was silent for a few seconds.

"I was going to see you," I finally said, averting my eyes away from his.

I could fell him staring at me for a few seconds "Me?" He finally queried, sounding surprised, "but _why_?"

I didn't answer him for a while and he didn't push me. It's not like I didn't want to tell him – I just wanted to make sure that I had things straightened out in my own mind before I confessed my feelings. I was coming to see him because I wanted to see if what Zane had said was true – if he actually did still care about me enough to want to get back together again. I wanted to know if he truly still loved me.

"You do remember that we broke up," I said slowly, turning my head to look at him again.

He nodded just as slowly, "yeah, I remember, but Bella, I want to tell – "

" – Let me say something first." I cut him off. He fell silent immediately and looked at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath. I knew that this was that now-or-never moment and I knew that I had to start talking before I started crying, I wanted him back so much and I wasn't sure if I could even express it in words. But I also knew that I had to try.

"Will, that fight, our argument or disagreement, I thought it was important a the time," I began, "and I thought that I would be fine without you. I didn't think we had anything special. I thought we would have broken up anyways, after a certain amount of time, like everyone else does." I swallowed hard. "But we didn't," my voice broke, "and I realized that I can't live without you." Tears started pouring down my cheeks and I didn't even try to wipe them away.

"I love you." I choked, "I love you so much." I looked deep into his eyes, searching them for any sign of forgiveness. It was then that I saw the tears running down his face as well. He didn't say a word, but just opened his arms and I fell into them, feeling the warmth of his body against mine with a relief that I can't describe. He held me close and stroked my hair, murmuring softly into my ear as I cried. When I calmed down a bit, he pulled away just slightly so he could look at me.

"Now it's my turn." He said gently, wiping a few stray tears off my cheeks. "Bella, I've never felt as lost as I have this past month without you. I thought about you every second of every day, trying to find some ridiculous reason why you should want to come back to me." His eyes bore into mine and I could see the sorrow deeply imbedded in them. "And I couldn't think of any." He finished. "The only thing that kept running through my mind was how much I loved you, how much I cared about you, and how much I missed you. I literally could not think of anything else. I know I don't deserve someone as amazing or as beautiful as you, but I love you more than anything else on this earth." He paused for a moment. "And I want to be with you again," He finished softly.

I didn't say anything. Instead I leaned forward and kissed him. He kissed back, sealing it once and for all. It said more than a hundred words could and I continued kissing him, hungry for all the ones I had missed over the past month. He finally pulled away and both of us were gasping for air as we came up.

"I'm guessing this makes us official now?" He teased, a bit of the old Will coming to the surface. I laughed and kissed him again lightly for an answer. He chuckled and shifted over slightly so that way I would have room. I curled up next to him and pulled the covers back over both of us. He pulled me into his chest and I sighed contentedly.

"Happy?" He murmured, burying his face in my hair. I looked up at his face and saw for the first time how worn and tired he looked.

"Completely," I whispered, "Now try and get some sleep; I'm not going anywhere."

He smiled and kissed my forehead tenderly before closing his eyes. A few minutes later I heard the gentle and regularly breathing that could only mean that he was asleep. I shut my eyes too and let the peaceful sound lull me to sleep as if it was the most beautiful lullaby in the world.

**A/N: I want to end this chapter here because I feel like it's such a perfect moment. THEY GOT BACK TOGETHER! You all knew it was coming…but ya just didn't know when! LOL well, it finally happened and I hope you all were happy with the way the reconciled. :) Things aren't over for them yet however, and there are still at least two or three more chapters left in this fic, not to mention a trequel. I'm sorry if this chapter was extremely short, but I have written shorter, so I don't think it's that bad. I'll try to update faster though to make up for it! Thanks for reading! Please review! :)**

**Ella:)**


	9. Chapter 9: Will Duty

**A/N: Thanks to my last reviewer, this chapter went up today! But I didn't really understand the reveiw though...I would PM but it was left by a Guest, so whoever you are, I'm a bit confuzzled, but a review is a review! :) I'm so happy with how well this story is going! I already have a title for the next part, which will be revealed in the last chap of this fic. I really hope you like this chapter. This is the downhill part; this story already reached its pinnacle a few chapters ago. Now it's got to slide back down, and then rise back up for the next part. Okay, I'm done with boring explanations, here's the next chapter of never let go.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own H2O just add water**

Bella's POV:

_(Three days after the last chapter)_

I can't describe how happy I was to be back together with Will. Compared with what had almost happened three days ago, we both realized how stupid and trivial our argument had been. We were comfortable with each other once again and everything just felt perfectly right. I was actually at Will's house right now, I had spent the past few nights here since he couldn't be left alone and there wasn't really anyone else.

Will was asleep in his room at the moment and I was doing the few dishes in the sink, wearing gloves of course. They were in a prominent spot on the counter and I'm sure Will had learned to use them right away whenever he had to wash dishes or do anything in relation with water. I quickly finished the dishes and carefully slipped off the gloves. As I did so, an unseen droplet of water splashed on my arm. In ten seconds, I hit the floor with a painful "thump" and a cry of surprise.

"Darn it!" I scolded myself, reaching for a towel to wipe off my arms and hands.

"Bella, are you alright?" I heard Will call from his room.

"I'm fine!" I called back, "I just had an…umm…" I searched for the right words, "…unexpected surprise?" I finished weakly.

"Does it involve a tail?" I heard his voice right above me. I jumped in surprise and gaped at him, just woken up and wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants.

"What are you doing out of bed?" I cried, forgetting the towel momentarily. "You're supposed to be resting!"

"More like res_cuing_," he quipped, handing me the towel that had been just out of reach. I glared at him.

"I would have gotten to it eventually!" I protested, drying myself off quickly. My tail disappeared immediately, and my legs returned.

"But why wait until eventually when you could have had it immediately?" He countered. I frowned at him, trying to look stern, but he placed his hands on my hips, and I relented, resting my head against his bare chest.

"Hey, I'm not dying," he teased gently, "maybe I'm not 100%, but I'm getting there. Just give me a little leeway; I promise I won't fall apart."

I grinned in spite of myself and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'll hold you to that," I whispered softly. "Now," I began in a normal tone, "back to bed!"

He groaned and pulled away to look at me. "You mean my, 'please-I-feel-fine' speech didn't work?" He looked at me in feigned shock.

I grinned and tapped his nose. "No, it didn't. I said I'd give you leeway, not a free pass out of here." He sighed, turned, and trudged back into his bedroom. I followed close behind, keeping one hand on his arm the whole way. He crawled back under the covers, and I tucked them back around his shoulders. I was just turning to leave when he called me back.

"Bella?"

I faced him and saw that his expression had turned serious. "Yeah?" I replied.

"Why did you come back?" He asked slowly. "Why did you come after me after I saved you?" His eyes studied my face searchingly.

I sat down on the side of his bed and gave him a confused look. The suddenness of randomness of this question surprised me. "You know why I came back." I said, almost accusingly. "I was worried and I wanted to talk to you about how horrible I had been acting."

He shook his head. "I know that, and I know that we're back together now and all, but we never actually thought seriously about the problems we had had before we broke up." He looked hard into my eyes. "I don't know if it was one thing that was the issue, or if it was a bunch of things combined, but whatever it was that caused us to break up, I just want to make sure that it _never happens again_." He said his last three words with finality, making me realize right away how serious he was.

I thought about what he had said, and then thought back to the days before we broke up. What had triggered the explosion? It hadn't been anger; that was for sure. Now that I was thinking carefully I realized that it had been concern. I almost smiled at that thought, only because of how ridiculous it really was. I had been so worried about Will because I loved him so much – so worried that I had let my worries come out in the wrong way – and in the end they drove him away instead of bringing him closer. I looked up and realized that Will was still staring at me.

"I think I was being too overprotective." I said simply.

"No, Bella, don't – " He began to protest.

"– Just let me finish" I cut him off. He fell silent, and I took a deep breath and continued.

"I was worried that you were going to hurt yourself, or that at the very least you would expose yourself to everyone." I paused. "And I don't think I could have handled that." I finished finally.

I stopped talking, not wanting to dwell on the idea that had given me nightmares for days leading up to our argument at the café. Someone splashing Will with water, him running away, and then everything would go in slow motion as he transformed before he could make it. It was more frightening than my old nightmares about myself transforming, because at least then I knew when I woke up that I had some kind of control over what happened and what didn't. But when it was someone else, and especially someone you love, the idea is purely terrifying.

Will reached his arm out and brushed a strand of hair away from my face. "I think," he began slowly, "that we both need to learn to trust each other more."

I nodded slightly. "I'll try not to be so aggravating," I said apologetically, raising my eyes to his face. He didn't say anything, but just pulled me into his arms.

"Please don't blame yourself for this," he begged gently, his words muffled into my hair. "It was just as much my fault as it was yours. I was too stupid to realize that you were only concerned for my safety; not being unreasonable. I'm so sorry. Do you think you can forgive me?"

He sounded so sad, like he was really considering the idea that I might not forgive him, that I smiled in spite of myself.

"I don't think that there's anything to forgive," I said softly, burying my face into his shoulder. He let his breath out slowly, as if he had been holding it for a long time.

"So now we start fresh?" He asked quietly.

"From scratch," I said. He smiled happily and so did I. He leaned forward, squeezing my hand and planted a gentle kiss on my lips. I looked at him and saw for the first time how fragile he really was. Despite what he had said earlier, his brief illness had drained him of most of his strength, and it was going to take time for him to regain it. With those thoughts in mind, I helped him ease back into bed and re-tucked the blankets around him. His eyes closed after a few seconds, but his grip on my hand remained until he drifted off to sleep. I stayed with him for a few minutes more and then carefully pulled my hand away and left the room.

Back in the living room, I settled myself on the couch and pulled out my phone. I had three messages. One was from Cleo, asking how Will was, one was from my mom, asking if I was staying at Will's tonight, and the third was from Rikki.

"_Need some company?" _

I smiled and typed out a reply.

"_Wud luv some."_

She texted back almost instantly.

"_b right ovr."_

About ten minutes later I heard a slight knock at the door. It opened before I could even get off the couch. Rikki walked in, her phone in one hand and a bottle water in the other.

"Hey," she said, coming over to where I was on the couch.

"Hey," I replied, smiling and tucking my own phone into my pocket. She sat down beside me and looked up

"So, how's he doing?" She asked casually, but I could sense the underlying worry in her tone. Rikki was never one to be completely open about her feelings, but after knowing her all this time, I've come to be able to sense them myself – most of the time.

"He's doing a lot better; he even took it upon himself to get up and help me dry my tail off after a little incident."

She raised her eyebrows at me. "An incident?" She questioned.

"I was washing dishes and then…" I let my voice trail off, and she nodded understandingly.

"Been there, done that, only I didn't have a knight in shining pajamas to come and save me." She teased, a twinkle in her eye.

I laughed and playfully swatted her shoulder. She ducked out of my reached and wagged a finger at me.

"Oh come on, you know I'm right," she argued, pulling her legs up onto the couch and clicking on her phone.

"Maybe so," I admitted, "But things are still just in the early stages for us. We're trying to take things slow."

"Uh huh," she said. "And does this look like you're taking things slow?" She passed me her phone, and I looked at the screen. It was a picture she had taken of Will and I a day after the whole scare with the tentacle. I was curled up in his arms, and he was resting his head on top of mine.

"Oh, um…well…" I stuttered uncomfortably. Rikki burst into laughter.

"I thought so," she cried triumphantly. I laughed a little, but then I yawned. I had been up most of last night with Will. He hadn't been feeling well and I had kept him company until he had fallen asleep, but of course that meant that I got next to no sleep myself.

"You look exhausted," Rikki commented. I yawned again.

"Thank you captain obvious," I said sarcastically. She grinned.

"I suppose Will had you up all last night, now didn't he?" She grinned mischievously.

I nodded, "yeah, actually he did, but I – " Then the reality of what she had just implied hit me. My mouth dropped open, and I gaped at her in shock.

"Rikki!" I squealed, my cheeks turning bright red. She started laughing hysterically, rolling slightly off the side of the couch and easing her way to the floor. My face began to return to normal in a few seconds, and I grabbed a pillow and began smacking her with it. She raised her arms to shield herself and tried to snatch the pillow away from me.

"I take it back!" She gasped, "I take it back!" I was laughing too by this time and dropped the pillow. I flopped down on the floor beside her and we took a few seconds to calm down and get focused once again.

"Okay, now I'm being serious," Rikki said a few minutes later, pulling herself into a sitting position. "You look really tired; you need a break."

I pushed some hair out of my face. "Maybe, but who will keep an eye on Will? Sophie's not going to be back for a least another week, and actually, that's a good thing because she can't find out the details about this. By the time she gets back, Will should be almost better and we can just say he's had a cold or something. But back to the main issue, Lewis and Cleo can't tear away from each other long enough to say hello, so they're obviously out."

Rikki shrugged. "You're forgetting someone," she said, pulling her water bottle out from under a chair and taking a quick sip. "How about me? I can look after him while you go home and get some rest. Take a shower, watch TV, take a nap, just try and think about something else for a few hours."

I thought about what she said for a moment. As much as I hated to admit it, the offer was tempting. I was still worried about Will, but I knew that he had been right when he said before that he wasn't going to fall apart, and if I didn't get some sleep soon, _I_ would be the one falling apart.

"You sure you're okay with this?" I said slowly.

She nodded, "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't," She got up and set her water and phone down on the coffee table. "Now go on, I'll keep a close eye on him, I promise."

I stood up rather reluctantly, but I knew she was right. As I headed for the door I turned, "I won't be gone too long, I'll have my phone with me at all times, so call me if ANYTHING happens, and I – "

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, no worries, just go before I change my mind," Rikki groaned, getting up and pushing me playfully towards the door.

I laughed and started leaving, "Okay, okay, I'm going, but seriously, please let me know what goes on," I looked at her and she nodded.

"I promise, I'll call you if he even sneezes." She said seriously. I turned to leave, satisfied.

"Thank you so much for this," I said, as I walked down the pier.

"No problem," she called. "Now just take it easy!"

Rikki's POV:

I shut the door after Bella left and plopped back down on the couch. I didn't have anything else to do this afternoon; it was slow at the café and Zane could manage by himself. I played with my phone for about a half an hour to an hour when I heard sounds of someone moving around in the next room. I got up and cracked the door open a notch. Will was up and was stretching his arms up above his head, yawning.

"Hello sleeping beauty," I teased, stepping into the room. "Feeling better?"

He grinned when he saw me. "Much better," he confirmed. "Where's Bella?"

"I sent her home to relax for a while. Until she gets back, I'm on 'Will Duty'"

He laughed at my last phrase. " 'Will Duty'?" He queried, making the hyphen marks with his fingers.

"Yup, 'Will Duty'" I said, imitating his hyphens. "What else should I call it?"

"I'm sure I don't know," he said, yawning at the end of his sentence. "Since you're here, does that mean that I can move without you freaking out?" He looked at me hopefully.

I laughed, "to some extent," I said cautiously, "but you still have to take it easy. Bella would kill me of you wore yourself out the minute she turned her back."

He shrugged. "You're right, but I feel like I'm suffocating in here!" he cried dramatically, "I'm going to go crazy if I don't get a change of scene soon."

I thought about that for a second. "I get what you mean," I said slowly. "And I think I might have a way to fix this."

LINEBREAK

I watched Will's face as I plopped the contents of my arms down in front of him.

"Monopoly…Life…Stratego…?" his voice trailed off, and he looked at me with a blank expression. "What am I supposed to do with these?"

I sighed. "Honestly Will, you say that you're not crippled, and then I have to do everything for you." I shook my head and gestured towards the games. "We'll play these to keep your mind off of being sick and all that stuff. You can stay in bed, you can keep busy, I won't die of boredom, and Bella won't get mad at us. See everyone wins, now shut up, put your shirt on, and choose your game piece." I tossed him a t-shirt, flipped the monopoly box open and dumped the contents on his bed. Will raised his eyebrows and looked like he was holding back a laugh. I grinned and started dealing out the money while Will sat up and began looking through the assortment of game pieces spread out on his blankets. After a few seconds he selected the small, silver boat out of the pile.

I looked at him curiously. "Why the boat?" I asked. "Everyone I know always picks the boot or the train. Then when I play with little kids they always fight over the dog or the horse, but nobody ever cares about the boat."

He shrugged. "I guess it's fitting. I lived practically my whole life on a boat. Then I used to dive a lot, and now I swim…sort of…" he grinned at me. "So I guess I think of boats as my lucky charm or something."

I grinned "we'll see how lucky that boat is when I beat the pants off you," I teased. He shook his head playfully at me.

"Yeah, we'll see!" He shot back, but I could see the twinkle in his eyes. I handed him the dice.

"You roll first; you're going to need all the help you can get."

LINEBREAK

Four hours later, Will and I had played through a game of monopoly, two games of life and were currently in the middle of Stratego.

"Seven," I called, placing my game piece on top of Will's.

He grinned. "Gimme," he said mischievously, reaching for my piece.

"What?!" I cried, pulling it away. "What the heck? What do you have under there anyway?!"

He chuckled, "That's for me to know, and you to find out," he said triumphantly, placing my seven back into its compartment. Right next to his rows of sixes, fives, fours, threes, twos, my spy, and two bombs.

"Aarrgh, you are so annoying!" I screamed, bouncing up and down on the bed. He looked on in amusement.

"Are you done now?" He asked patiently, "Because I would like to take my turn."

I scowled at him. "Go ahead," I grumbled, tucking my knees to my chest.

He reached for the piece I had just attacked and moved it one square. "Twelve," he said confidently.

I gaped at him and then buried my head in my hands. He flipped over the piece he had just captured and gave a cry of excitement. "Yes! I won! I got your flag!" He pumped his fist into the air and did a little victory dance, still sitting down.

I just stared at him, trying hard not to laugh.

"What's wrong?" He questioned innocently.

I couldn't take it any more and I burst into peals of laughter.

"What?" He asked, almost indignantly. "What on earth is so funny?"

I tried to answer, but I was laughing to hard. Will tried to look angry, but all that happened was that he began laughing with me. We finally calmed down a few seconds later, and I began sliding whatever pieces remained on the board into the box. Will folded up the board carefully as I jumped off the bed and crawled along the floor looking for the one three that was nowhere to be found.

"You know, I can't believe Bella and I went all that time apart just because we were too stubborn to fess up." He commented.

"I keep telling you and telling you: you're too stubborn for your own good." I grunted, stretching my arm out under the bed and feeling around frantically.

Will didn't answer. I finally felt the missing piece between my fingers and I straightened up and set it in the box, placing the lid on neatly.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking up at him. He was staring off into the distance and didn't seem to hear me at first. I reached out and touched his shoulder. He jumped and looked at me.

"Sorry, I guess I zoned out there for a bit." He said sheepishly. "I told you I would beat you," he said, returning to an old topic and giving me a crooked smile. He was obviously trying to pretend everything was normal.

"Yeah, and I should have believed you." I said carefully. "Seeing as how you're a terrible liar."

He looked sharply at me. "What do you mean by that?" He asked quickly.

I shrugged. "It's just that I can always tell when you're lying."

"Like when?" He challenged.

"Like now," I retorted. "You're worried about something, and you're trying to pretend that you're not."

He didn't answer.

"Oh come on Will, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I scanned him over quickly, but physically he looked better than I'd seen him since the accident. His forehead was creased with worry though, and it was obvious that he had something on his mind.

"I'm just worried about me and Bella," he said finally, playing with a loose thread from his sheet. "I know we worked things out, and we both realized how ridiculous we acted, but that doesn't change the fact that we're both still mers that risk transformation and exposure every time we leave our houses. I can't help but worry about her, and I know she feels the same. We promised each other we'd be more trusting, but I'm literally terrified every time she comes within ten feet of a water bottle. I just want to protect her, but now I'm in the same situation." He looked at me, his eyes hollowed and sad. "I just feel so – so – so _trapped_," he said desperately.

I reached my hand out and placed it on his shoulder. "It's okay to feel like that," I said softly. "I get where you're coming from to some extent. It's hard to know that you can't really help your friends if they were to get into trouble. You could sacrifice yourself, but that would ultimately sacrifice them. With you it's even worse because Bella's more than just your friend."

He nodded. "So what do I do?" He asked hoarsely. "How do I protect her without – " he paused. "– stifling her?" He finished, looking up at me.

I thought about that for a second. Then I shrugged. "Just try and be there for her as much as you can, but also try to listen to her, and I don't just mean listen to what she says. By now, you should be able to tell when she needs space, and if you're ever in doubt just ask her. Having time to yourself in a relationship is just as important as having time together." Then I looked up to make sure he was still listening. "And, if worse comes to worse – "

He sucked in his breath sharply and looked away, but I kept on talking like I hadn't noticed.

"If worse comes to worse," I continued, "be there for her through it all and show her that you'll be with her until the end, no matter what it takes."

He nodded slowly, and looked at me. "Right," he said softly, pressing his hand to his forehead. I reached out and placed my hand on his neck and then on his upper back.

"You feel a bit warm," I said worriedly, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. "Why don't you try and get some rest?"

He nodded soundlessly and slowly slipped off his t-shirt. I pulled the blankets back and away from him, and he crawled under them gratefully. I tucked them around him gently and then turned to leave.

"Rikki?" he called, just as I was about to shut the door.

"Yeah?" I looked back at him questioningly.

"Thanks," he said simply.

I smiled, knowing that he meant more than just the games we had played.

"Anytime."

**A/N: I just need to clarify something RIGHT NOW. I'm NOT a wikki fan although I know it's a fairly popular pairing. I love them as friends, but I can't see them as anything more. ZIKKI 4 EVER! Okay, well, I hope you liked this chapter and there's more where it came from! Just review and I'll post as soon as I can. This story is coming to a close, but the sequel is all planned so don't worry! Thank you so much for reading! Love you! :) Oh and btw the same thing goes rom now on - three reviews and I update soon...five reviews and I update as soon as I get the fifth review. I can't use the computer after 10 o'clock though, but I'm trying to have all my ready chapters uploaded so that I can use my ipod. Thanks again! Please review! :)**

**Ella:-D**


	10. Chapter 10: How Much I Love You

**A/N: Okay um, this chapter takes place about a week or two after the last one. Will's much better and he and Bella are more solid in their relationship. LOL hahaha…what am I laughing about you ask? Well I'm not tellin'. You'll find out soon enough…and I think you'll guess right away because it's kind of obvious what's going on in most of this chapter even though I don't actually SAY the word until the end. Confused? Yeah, well just read…you'll see what I mean. I don't have anything else to say so…enjoy this chapter and review! Thank you! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own H2O just add water.**

CHAPTER 10

Will's POV:

I was walking down the streets of our town, feeling better than I had in weeks. Not just physically better, but emotionally better too. I had been doing a lot of thinking while I was sick and I had come to an exciting and slightly frightening conclusion. It was with that conclusion that I was making my way towards a very special shop in particular on this quiet July afternoon.

I reached my destination a few seconds later and I slipped inside the door, a ringing of a little bell above the door greeting me, and trying to look calm, cool, and collected, but in reality I was scared out of my wits.

"Can I help you?" I jumped as an old man behind the counter looked at me questioning.

"Oh, um no I was just uh…looking, yeah," I stammered like an idiot. The man chuckled lightly.

"If you say so," he said, a twinkle in his eye. I got the feeling that he knew why I was there and the thought made me blush furiously. Was it that obvious?

I continued my "just looking" throughout the many displays, ruling out every possibility for even slight imperfections. Then I saw something. It was nothing like I had imagined; I had never thought of doing something like this, but somehow the uniqueness of it all made it perfect. I looked up and saw the gentleman a few feet away, putting some items on a shelf.

"Excuse me?" I asked politely, attracting his attention. He turned around and faced me, setting his items on the countertop.

"Yes?" He asked pleasantly, "Are you finished looking?" He smiled.

I grinned, not feeling awkward anymore when I realized what this purchase actually symbolized. I motioned to the display I had been looking at before.

"Yes, I'm finished. I think I've found what I'm looking for."

* * *

(Two weeks later)

Bella's POV:

The girls and I were all gathered in my room, making plans for my nineteenth birthday party that I was having next week. My birthday was in exactly two days and sixteen hours but who counts? Will does actually, he's been texting me every morning for the past week with a countdown. I'm surprised he hasn't started counting the minutes yet. I grinned at how cute that this actually was.

"I think you should a Hawaiian theme," Cleo suggested, "I know it's been done until it's dead, but maybe we can add a new twist."

"Yeah, like in the tail," Rikki remarked sourly. "Let's try for something that DOESN'T involved water in any way. I don't want to be rushing off into a closet or a bathroom every five seconds."

"Well do you have any other suggestions then?" Cleo asked impatiently. "What else can we do?"

"How about we try a barbecue or something, but do a serious theme so people don't suddenly start water fights." Rikki proposed.

"Serious theme? Like what?" Cleo questioned, pulling out her pencil and notepad.

"How about…" Rikki's voice trailed off and she thought for a second. Then her eyes lit up. "I've got it!" She cried.

"Well?" Cleo asked expectantly, "What is it?"

"Let me spell it for you." Rikki said. Cleo nodded and turned to her notepad.

"I-D-O," Rikki began. Cleo nodded.

"N-T-K," Cleo scribbled those down too. By now I could tell that Rikki was up to something; she was grinning evilly, but Cleo was too intent on making each letter picture perfect to pay any attention to her.

"N-O-W," Rikki finished. "Now, read that," she said, leaning back into the couch.

Cleo set down her pen. "Okay, I-D-O-N-T-K-N-O-W – Oh _Rikki_!" She cried in exasperation. Rikki burst into laughter and I joined her. Cleo looked at us in mock anger, but it didn't last long. She started laughing with us and a few minutes later we were all sprawled across my bed, hot and breathless. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I quickly pulled it out. The text was from Will.

"U wanna go 4 a swim l8r? I havent been 4 awhile…"

Actually, he hasn't been swimming since the drama with the tentacle. I had been swimming with the girls as always, but I missed swimming with him more than I had let on. He'd been pretty much back to normal for about a week or so now, but he had been avoiding the water and I could understand that. His stings were about healed though, and I'm glad that he actually wanted to go swimming.

"_**Sure wut time?"**_

"_3 ok? Ill meet u at my place"_

"_**Sounds good c u then!"**_

"_Ok luv u =]"_

"_**Luv u 2 :)"**_

"All things considered," Cleo panted, "I think the barbecue idea IS pretty good, we just need a good theme. What do you think Bella?"

I didn't answer. I was staring at Will's last text and grinning like an idiot. It was amazing how something so simple could make me so happy. "Ok luv u" and then his quirky equal-sign smiley face. I used to take little things like texts for granted before, but I had promised myself I would never make that mistake again.

"Bella? Bella? Earth to Bella!" Rikki waved her hand in front of my face. "Are you still here?" She complained sarcastically.

I shook myself. "Yeah, I'm still here; sorry about that," I apologized hastily.

"What were you looking at on your phone?" Cleo asked curiously, giving me a funny smile. "What was so interesting that you completely zoned out on us?"

I blushed. "Nothing," I said, lying through my teeth. "I was just texting, that's all." That was the wrong thing to say; I realized it the moment the words left my mouth.

"Texting?" Rikki said, crawling over to where I was. "Texting who?"

"Oh come on do you even have to ask?" Cleo said mischievously. "Who do you think?"

"I don't know!" Rikki cried, faking bewilderment. "Give me a hint."

Cleo giggled. "Well he's tall, handsome, and has pretty blue eyes that send Bella to another world!"

Rikki pretended to be thinking. "Well…there's only one person who comes to mind. Is it – "

"Oh stop, both of you!" I cried, throwing a pillow at them. Immediately they burst into giggles, and I was already laughing. Then Rikki lunged forward and made a grab for my phone. I shrieked and tried to hold it out of her reach, but she had taken me by surprise. She fell on top of me and managed to pry my fingers away from my phone.

"No!" I cried, still laughing, "There's nothing to see!"

"We'll see about that," she said, clicking my phone on.

"Oooo let me see!" Cleo squealed, peering over Rikki's shoulder.

I groaned and flopped back on my pillows. I might as well just prepare myself for all the teasing I knew was soon to follow. I smiled though, because this was actually sort of fun in a weird sort of way. It was nice that I had _someone_ for them to tease me about, so I watched with amusement as the girls scrolled quickly through my texts going "aww!" or giggling as the situation required.

"So you're going swimming?" Cleo cooed, looking up at me and away from my phone.

I sighed dramatically and pretended to be annoyed. "Yes, we're going swimming; it'll be his first swim since that full moon. Are you two done yet?" I crossed my arms and tried to look stern, but it was hopeless.

"So things are going good between you two huh?" Rikki said smoothly, passing me my phone.

"Yeah, pretty good," I said confidently, "although you would probably already know that by now since you've read our most recent conversations," I added, raising one eyebrow.

"True, but I just wanted a personal confirmation." She said smartly. "So are you two serious?"

I frowned. "Serious? I don't get it?"

"About each other,' Rikki explained patiently. "Will's almost twenty and you'll be nineteen in…" she paused and reached for my phone again, flipping to he most recent text. "…in two days and now _fifteen_ hours."

"Oookkkaaayy…" I said, dragging out my word slowly and raising now both of my eyebrows. "I'm still confused."

"She means, do you think you might want to…" Cleo paused. "…Spend the rest of your life with him?"

I was still confused. Spend the rest of my life with him? But people only do that when they're…

Oh my god.

I gasped. "Wait…hold it!" I cried looking from one to the other. "You mean do I want to MARRY him?" My mouth dropped open and I continued to stare at them.

"Exactly." Rikki said bluntly. "After all, you're not kids anymore and you seem totally in love, so that's basically the next step. Unless you want to be rebels and just move in together, I mean that could work too; I'm not saying it wouldn't – "

"Rikki!" Cleo screamed. "Let's stick to the point!"

Rikki shrugged. "I was just giving her more options," she defended herself. Cleo rolled her eyes and shook her head. Then she turned back to me.

"Bella we're not saying that you will marry him, but we were just wondering if you've ever thought about it."

I was silent. Did I want to marry Will? I knew I loved him, there was nothing to question there. And didn't people who loved each other always get married? Did Will want to marry me? I tried to picture us married. Living together, having children, him coming home from work and me being there…I couldn't stop myself from smiling at the happy pictures that filled my mind. And then our kids…would they be mers too? Will and I still had human genes; they could be human too.

Rikki grinned and nudged Cleo.

"I think we have our answer," she said quietly. Cleo nodded and silently pulled out her phone and typed a quick message, so quick that I didn't even see. She hit send and shoved the phone back into her pocket.

Lewis's POV:

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and checked the screen. The message was from Cleo.

_:)_

That was all – just a smiley face. But it was all I needed. I smiled to myself and sent a new text – not to Cleo though, but to Will.

**Did u get it?**

A few minutes later he replied.

_Yup & its perfect_

**When r u gonna do it?**

The answer I received surprised me.

_This afternoon we r going swimming_

**The moon pool?**

_Exactly_

I smiled. He really knew how to do things right, didn't he?

**Well good luck**

_Thanx g2g_

Zane's POV:

"Okay, now you're sure about this?" I asked incredulously. Will nodded.

"Absolutely positively sure." He said firmly.

"You've thought it over," I said skeptically.

"I've thought it over," he replied, "And I know what I'm doing."

I seriously doubted that – it's not like he's had loads of experience or anything – who does for this kind of thing? But I could tell that he was serious.

"You realize that it could go either way, right?" I said slowly, not wanting to rain on anyone's parade. I know I can be a bit thoughtless sometimes but I'm not that cruel. "It could ruin everything if you got – "

"–Yes I realize that too," He cut me off, "And it's a risk I'm willing to take." He grinned suddenly. "After all," He added, "The pros DEFINITELY outweigh the cons."

Even I had to smile at that.

"Well good luck then mate," I said, slapping him on the shoulder as he turned to leave the café.

"Thanks," he said, pulling his phone out and clicking on the lock screen.

"It's almost three, I'd better get going. I'm meeting Bella at my place before we leave for our date."

I raised my eyebrows. "Any particular place in mind?" I questioned.

"The moon pool!" He called over his shoulder as he left. Original – no – but perfect…

Yes.

Will's POV:

I finished talking to Zane and headed for my place. I had already been to the moon pool once today, although I hadn't done any swimming to get out there. I had used my motorboat and just left an important object in a hidden spot – an object that I didn't trust to survive the transformations from human to mer and vice versa. Right now I went inside and hurriedly changed clothes. Dressed in a blue T-shirt and Bermuda shorts, I looked comfortably casual – which was exactly what I was going for. My phone buzzed, and I clicked on the screen to see a message from Bella.

_On my way c u soon! :-)_

_**:-D**_

I sent back a great big smiley face because I knew that she loved it when I did that. And it pretty much described how I felt anyway. :)

Bella's POV:

I was walking down the pier to Will's house. I had just texted him. I was about to knock on his door when I got a response.

_**:-D**_

I grinned and rapped lightly on the door. It was open before I was even finished.

"Hey," Will said, smiling as he opened the door.

"Hey," I replied, standing on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. "You ready for this?" I said, motioning in the direction of the water. He nodded confidently.

"Absolutely, positively, totally, and completely ready," he said smartly, kissing me between every word.

I giggled and grinned at him. "Well in that case we might as well get going," I said, starting down the pier. He followed me good-naturedly until we were at the end. We both looked around instinctively to make sure there was no one else around. There was no one in sight, and with that we both dived in at exactly the same moment. We hit the water with a clean and quiet splash, letting ourselves sink as we transformed. I grinned at Will after he grew his tail; I'm still surprised every single time he transforms. It seems unreal, and I know he feels the same way about me. We joined hands and began swimming towards Mako slowly. Will hadn't used his tail for a while, and I didn't want him to get sore by doing too much. Besides, there wasn't any hurry. We took the time to admire the fish and coral reefs that we passed on our way. I watched Will as well for the first ten or fifteen minutes. He looked a bit hesitant at first, but after a bit he began to feel more comfortable. I could see the muscles in his tail rippling as he swam by, and I didn't think that he could look happier.

But then he turned his face towards me. His smile grew broader, his eyes got brighter, and he swam closer to where I was, his fingers brushing my cheek as he pushed a few strands of hair from my face. He kissed my cheek lightly, and then continued swimming. I noticed him picking up the speed bit by bit, and I frowned slightly. He shook his head and smiled encouragingly, letting me know that he was all right and that he wasn't doing too much. I smiled back and we began to swim a bit faster.

We arrived at the moon pool about five minutes later. I surfaced quickly, in need of air. We can hold our breathe for long periods of time, that's true, but I don't like to do it unless it's absolutely necessary. Will surfaced right after I did, having let me enter the narrow passage from the sea into the pool first.

"How do you feel?" I asked him as his shook the water from his hair.

"I've never felt better," he answered confidently. "_Man_, it's nice to swim again!" He jumped slightly and let himself crash back into the water like a whale. I laughed at his antics, but I stopped laughing when he didn't surface again right away.

"Will?" I called, beginning to look around me.

"Boo!"

"Aaahhh!" I screamed, whirling around to find Will staring cheekily at me. His hands quickly wrapped around my waist so I couldn't get away.

"Gotcha!" He cried triumphantly, swishing his tail back and forth in a sort of mer victory dance. I tried to look stern, but I could never really be mad at him. I started giggling and let myself fall on top of him, catching him off guard as he supported my weight. He recovered quickly and wrapped his arms around me tightly.

"You know I love you, right?" He asked softly, his breath tickling my ear.

"Of course I know that," I answered, resting my head against his chest. "Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged silently and hugged me a little tighter. "I didn't say that right. Do you know how _much_ I love you?"

I looked at him strangely. "Why all these questions and specifications?" I asked curiously. "Is everything okay?" My eyes grew fearful. Was he going to break up with me?

"Yeah, everything's fine," he assured me. "The truth is…that I have something to ask you, and I'm just trying to speculate whether you'll say yes or not." He smiled whimsically at me. I could tell right away that he was nervous and excited.

He wanted to ask me something? What on earth could he want to ask me that could have him so worked up? I thought he had just been excited to swim again, but now it seemed like there was something more to this.

"Why don't you just ask me?" I suggested slowly. "Then you won't have to speculate; you'll just know."

He thought for a second, and then nodded somewhat nervously.

"Okay," he said. Then he looked around. "This is probably not the proper way to do this, but sometimes the proper way isn't the most appropriate, is it?" He said it like a question, but I don't think he expected an answer. I didn't say a word.

I heard him take a deep breath and then he began to speak words that I would remember for the rest of my life.

"Bella, when we broke up, I was a mess," he began bluntly. "I started thinking seriously about what it would be like to live without you." He looked at me seriously. "And I've come to the conclusion that I can't."

I bit my lip to catch a little gasp before it slipped out. What was he getting at?

"Then when I got sick," he continued, "I thought about ways I could ascertain that we would be together forever, no matter what. But the thing is, nothing in this world is absolutely certain, the comet last year proved that for sure, so I decided I'd go with whatever was almost certain."

Almost certain? "I'm confused…" I said slowly, looking at him questioningly.

"Just let me finish," he said patiently. "I'll get there…eventually…" He grinned and took my hand in his under the water.

"We're not going to live forever," he began again. "But we can leave something that will last forever." He looked at me tenderly. "They say true love lasts forever, and I know the love I have for you is as true as it can possibly be."

I could feel my heart swelling with every second, but my mind was a jumbled mess. The conversation with the girls…Cleo's knowing gaze, the direction in which Will was steering the conversation...was he going to…?

"And that's why I want everyone to know how much I love you and that all I ever want to do is make sure you're safe and happy." He was now holding both of my hands. His eyes fastened on mine as he said, softly yet clearly,

"Bella, will you marry me?"

**A/N: Cliffhangers have now becoming the norm for this story, so I hope you're not too furious with me… :-} I'll post the next chapter as soon as I get time and feedback so please review. This was a fun chapter to write, but it still wasn't easy. Did you like the proposal? Review and tell me! :) Thanks for reading! :)**

**Ella:-D**


	11. Chapter 11: Estatic Tears

**A/N: I know you've been waiting for this chapter so that's why I'm posting it sooner than I normally would. And besides that, I got five reviews! :) Thank you so much! Do you think we can reach fifty for this story? It would make me SO happy! :-D I wouldn't have split the chapters…but the last one was already over 3000 words and I needed SOMETHING for this chap. I know you guys probably hate me enough already…so I'll shut up and let you read. :) Enjoy! :-D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own H2O just add water**

CHAPTER 11

Bella's POV

RECAP

"_We're not going to live forever," he began again. "But we can leave something that will last forever." He looked at me tenderly. "They say true love lasts forever, and I know the love I have for you is as true as it can possibly be." _

_I could feel my heart swelling with every second_, _but my mind was a jumbled mess. The conversation with the girls…Cleo's knowing gaze, the direction in which Will was steering the conversation…was he going to…?_

"_And that's why I want everyone to know how much I love you and that all I ever want to do is make sure you're safe and happy." He was now holding both of my hands. His eyes fastened on mine as he said, softly yet clearly,_

"_Bella, will you marry me?"_

I didn't say anything a first. I know that that's so classic; the girl being frozen in place after her boyfriend proposes to her because she's so shocked, but this time that wasn't the reason I couldn't speak. I wasn't shocked; I was overwhelmed. I suppose this idea had been niggling in the back of my mind ever since Will and I began seriously dating, even a bit before the accident. Gathered I had never thought seriously about it, but I always knew that it could be a possibility someday. I just couldn't believe that that possibility was now resting right here in my hands. Will had just asked me to marry him, and the full enormity of that was just beginning to set in. I knew that he loved me, I had just told him that seconds before, but it's one thing for someone to say they love you and a completely different thing for them to do something about it. Then I suddenly realized that I had been standing here silently for several seconds. Will was staring at me intently, his grip on my hands beginning to loosen as the silence prolonged. My answer was clear, it always had been and even though I didn't really know anything for sure – that's impossible for a normal person and much less a mermaid – I knew what I wanted and needed to say for certain and for the moment, that was all that mattered.

I looked up into his eyes and instantly saw the confusion and fear mixed into those beautiful blue orbs. No wonder – I had taken forever to answer but now my mind was clear, and I knew that this was a moment that I would never ever forget.

"Yes," I said softly, finally finding my voice. "Yes," I said again, slowly gaining confidence as a smiled began to fill my face. "Yes, yes, yes!"

If I thought my smile was huge, it was nothing compared to the one that appeared on Will's face after I spoke. He let go of my hands and opened his arms. I jumped forward and threw myself into them, holding him as close as possible and still it didn't seem close enough.

"You mean it?" He asked, his voice slightly muffled due to the fact that his face was buried in my hair.

"How can you even ask?" I whispered, pressing my ear to his chest and feeling his heartbeat. It was racing with excitement, and I smiled, realizing that mine was as well. He pulled away slightly just then. I looked up in confusion, expecting this embrace to last at least a little bit longer.

"Just give me one second," he said hurriedly, catching my dismayed look. "I have something for you." He swam over to the side of the moon pool and reached his arm out over to the sand. He began digging lightly with his fingers, and I watched with slight amusement, but after just being proposed to, nothing could possibly surprise me now. A few seconds later, he stopped and pulled a small box out of the tiny hole he had just dug. He brushed the sand off carefully and swam back over to me. He snapped the box open and turned it so that I could see its contents. Sitting in the middle of the box was the most gorgeous ring I had ever seen. I'd never seen an engagement ring like this before, and I couldn't help but gasp as I looked at it. The center stones were an orange topaz and a garnet, woven together with strands of gold and surrounded by tiny diamonds. The stones were the exact color of our tails. I looked up at Will, my eyes glistening with happy tears. He carefully removed the ring and set the box down on the narrow rock shelf of the pool. He took my hand in his and gently slid the ring onto my ring finger. My finger was wet, so it went on easily, glittering even more with the water droplets that clung to it. Then Will lifted my hand up and brought it to his lips, tenderly placing a kiss on my fingers.

"Will its perfect," I said in awe, admiring the gorgeous band of gold. "Where on earth did find it?"

He grinned. "I almost didn't. I must have looked through a dozen displays before I saw a sign that said you could design your own. I spent two days working with the jeweler on what I wanted, and then he finally had it ready yesterday." Will smiled sheepishly. "Waiting so long almost made me loose my nerve, but when I saw the ring and remembered what it meant, I knew I had to go through with it."

The tears were flowing freely now and he reached out his hand and gently brushed them away from my eyes.

"Happy tears?" He said jokingly.

I laughed. "Ecstatic tears," I replied, paddling a little closer to him. He pulled me into his arms again and this time our embrace seemed to last forever. Then he pulled his head back and kissed me. I deepened the kiss, tracing the shape of his lips with my tongue as we both paddled desperately to stay afloat. We didn't break the kiss for a long time. When we finally did we pulled back and just floated there, gazing into each other's eyes like we had never seen them before. I had never felt love for someone this intensely and there was no way I could ever describe it. It's something you have to fell to realize. When I was younger I always worried that I would never know when I was truly in love. I would ask my mom what it felt like, worried to death that I wouldn't be able to tell when the time came. She told me that love wasn't something you could sense with your senses. It was something you sensed with your heart. I had never fully understood what she meant until this moment. The sensation I was getting was nothing like I had ever felt before, but somehow I knew exactly what it meant and what it was trying to tell me. I loved Will more than anything else in this world and I was going to spend the rest of my life with him.

"You want to get out?" Will asked softly, directing his gaze to the sandy shore inside the cavern.

"Um hmm," I murmured, not wanting to look away, but I knew the moment had to be broken eventually. Will reached for my hand and clasped it tightly in his and we swam over to the rock shelf. He reluctantly let go and heaved himself out of the water and onto the sand. As he pulled himself up the rest of the way, I admired his handsomely toned chest and abs, letting my gaze continue along his body until his human torso molded beautifully with his merman tail. His tail was longer than mine and incredibly gorgeous. The scales glistened in the dim light of the cave and the strong and firm muscles were easily visible beneath them.

"Umm…Bella…?" Will's voice brought me out of my girlish reverie. "A little help here?" He shot me an amused expression as his eyes followed my gaze.

"Oh, I get it," He said, pretending just to have realized what I had been thinking. He shrugged, "What can I say? I mean; I _am_ pretty darn hot, even as a merman." He gave me a look of total sincerity, but I could see that underneath it, he was fighting with all his might not to laugh. I unfortunately did not have the same kind of control. I blushed bright red and covered my mouth with my hand, but it was no use. I started laughing and so did he. When we finally stopped he motioned to his still-wet tail.

"Do you mind?" He said jokingly, "If I wait any longer I'll be dry naturally anyway,"

I nodded, still laughing, and lifted my hand up and changed what little water remained on him to jelly. He brushed it off quickly and his legs returned. The he reached out for me. We had done this procedure before and the best way was for him to quickly pull me out of the water and then dry his hands off as quickly as possible before he transformed again. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. I reached out my hands and he took them and hoisted me up onto the sand beside him. He hastily tried to dry his hands off on his t-shirt, but this was obvious meant to be one of the times when it didn't work. A few seconds later, he dropped to the ground beside me with a yelp of surprise.

I giggled as he looked at me forlornly, remembering the first time he hand transformed by accident, here in this very cave right after we had found out that he was a merman.

"Let's try this again; shall we?" he said sarcastically, raising his torso up on one elbow and resting his chin in his palm. He used his other hand to motion to his tail. He pretended to look annoyed, but I knew he was only kidding.

"Yes your majesty," I replied teasingly, continuing the charade. I flicked my wrist and the water on both of our tails turned to jelly. I reached over and brushed him off first and he grinned as my fingers lingered for a moment on his skin right where his body melded with his tail. While his legs returned I brushed myself off and in just a few seconds we were standing next to each other on the soft sand. He encircled his arms around me and leaned my head against his chest.

"So are we going to keep this hush hush, or can we tell people?" I asked curiously breathing in the spicy scent of his aftershave.

"I actually didn't give that part much thought." He grinned, "I was too worried about actually asking you to think about what to do if you said yes!" He paused. "I think we can tell people, it's not like we're under aged or we'll trigger a millennium old family feud if we're getting married."

I laughed, and then I stopped and looked at him. "Did you actually think that I would say no?" I finally asked incredulously, shaking my head. He shrugged.

"I was trying to prepare myself for the worst," he said. He rested his head on top of mine. "And you saying no would have been worse than the worst," he finished softly.

I grinned. "But I didn't," I reminded him, "I did some thinking myself when you were sick. Watching you almost die…" I shuddered in remembrance. "…It brought everything into perspective." I looked up into his face, resting my eyes on his. "I need you," I said softly, tracing patterns on his arms with my fingers. His eyes grew glassy with un-shed tears.

"And I need you," He whispered, pulling me back into his embrace and burying his face in my hair. "I almost lost you once," he murmured, "And I promise you, I'm never going to let that happen again." He kissed me tenderly and I kissed back, letting my arms encircle him tightly as his did the same.

After awhile, we finally broke the kiss, but we still held the embrace, holding each other so tightly like we would never let go.

**A/N: And this is the end! Were you expecting that? Probably…you know me and my cliffhangers. I know this chapter was short compared with my other ones, but I sort of like where it ended. I like to end on or around the line that inspired the name of the story. The next part has a name that will be revealed right now…. (Drum roll….) =]**

**Good Enough For Me**

**I know; the title doesn't give much away…but IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TOO! It might be awhile before the story is posted as I want to get at least three chapters ahead because with school and all, who knows how often I'll be able to update? Just to keep you guys happy though, I'm going to have a little contest. **

**The winner gets the first chapter as soon as it's ready, even if it's weeks before the actual story is posted. No promises for WHEN that chap will be ready, but this reviewer/PMer who wins will see it the day it is ready. If you're a guest, then the prize is that the first chapter of the story will be dedicated to you and I'll write a Wella oneshot about ANY situation you want and post it to my account saying that you were the inspiration. So if you enter, create a consistent username instead of just 'guest" so that I can properly write the dedication and read your idea from your review! :)**

**Now here's how it goes. I'm going to ask some multiple-choice questions based on the context of the 1st and 2nd parts of this trilogy. You can obviously go through the chaps and stories to find the answers. I won't give you the chap, but I will tell you which story the question is from, (Hold On Tight or Never Let Go.) The number of the question determines how many points you get. The person with the most points wins. If there is a tie, then the first person to PM or review with the answers is the winner, plain and simple. Here are the questions:**

1.) What is Will's power? _(Hold On Tight)_

**A.) Deflecting Water **

**B.) Reading Minds **

**C.) Making Whirlpools and Tornados **

**D.) Causing Earthquakes**

**E.) Making Whirlpools with Tentacles**

2.)When Will tried to get Bella out of the moon pool on the night of his transformation, she _ _(Hold On Tight)_

**A.) Kissed him and tried to seduce him.**

**B.) Pulled him underwater with her, almost drowning him**

**C.) Struggled and resisted, scratching his chest and arms.**

**D.) Tried to get him to swim away with her**

**E.) Was calm and did everything he told her to do.**

3.) What did Zane cook for breakfast the morning after Will's transformation in the moon pool? _(Hold On Tight)_

**A.) Pancakes**

**B.) Spinach and Mushroom Omelet**

**C.) Waffles**

**D.) Fried Eggs and Toast**

**E.) Poached Eggs and Bacon**

4.) What is Will's comfort food? _(Hold On Tight)_

**A.) Gummy Worms**

**B.) Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream**

**C.) Oreos**

**D.) Gummy Bears**

**E.) Reeses Peanut Butter Cups**

5.) What is Will's speed dial on Sophie's phone? _(Never Let Go)_

**A.) 5**

**B.) 1**

**C.) 4**

**D.) 7**

**E.) 3**

6.) Sophie is away during the course of the two stories, visiting her parents in _ _(Never Let Go)_

**A.) Argentina **

**B.) Japan**

**C.) Ireland**

**D.) The United States**

**E.) Indonesia**

7.) Which one of these is a kind of cologne Will uses? _(Hold On Tight)_

**A.) Ralph Lauren Polo**

**B.) Cuentos Del Matador**

**C.) Obsession**

**D.) Ride n' the Saddle**

**E.) All of the above**

8.) What is the name of the tentacle(s) that attack(s) Will in the moon pool? _(Never Let Go)_

**A.) Antenna Noche **

**B.) Andando Luna **

**C.) Cantata Moon**

**D.) Cantarando Moonshine**

**E.) La Luna Noche**

9.) What magazine was Lewis reading while he and Will were shut in the boathouse the night Bella was kidnapped by the tentacle? _(Never Let Go)_

**A.) Time**

**B.) Better Homes & Gardens**

**C.) Smithsonian Institute**

**D.) National Geographic**

**E.) He wasn't reading anything.**

10.) What did Zane break when he shoved Will during their fight before Will's transformation? _(Hold On Tight)_

**A.) A glass**

**B.) A picture frame**

**C.) Rikki's mermaid statue**

**D.) A chair**

**E.) A vase**

**Okay, there they are! Good luck and I hope you guys find this fun! If no one enters…well then I'll feel pretty stupid…but you are going to enter, right? :-) Please…Remember, if you enter as a guest reviewer, please create a username so I can do the dedication if you win! Thank you, ALL of you for sticking with these stories all this time and for reading and reviewing. I'll see you soon! :)**

**Ella:)**


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